


Stay Beautiful

by Aliyah_Faith



Category: Larry - Fandom, Larry Stylinson - Fandom, One Direction (Band), Ziall - Fandom, Ziall Horlik - Fandom
Genre: AU, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-11
Updated: 2013-06-12
Packaged: 2017-12-08 05:27:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/757590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aliyah_Faith/pseuds/Aliyah_Faith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I'm terrible at summaries. A highschool AU. Niall is the popular athlete. Zayn is in a completely different group. Niall gets injured and misses school. His friends pass around his yearbook for people to sign it and when he gets it back he has a cute love note in the back from an anonymous person. He has to find who it is. </p><p>Basically something I got an idea for and it started as an idea for a oneshot but my ideas expanded so I'm making it a full story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

You don't feel pain at first, not until you see it. Like when you accidently cut yourself on something, something small, until you see the blood the pain doesn't really start. That's because as you see it, you panic. As you panic, it will seemingly hurt more. This is what happened to Niall. One minute everything was fine, he was dodging through people, near the goal, the next the whistle was blowing and he was under about five guys on the field. They all piled off of him and he laid there for a few moments, trying to sit up. He couldn't move his leg. He looked down, watching himself try to move it. The pain was there, but it slowly got worse and worse until it was a blinding pain. He started panicking, breathing faster, he seen coach drop to his right, along with the EMT that was at all of the games as a precautionary measure. His team all down on one knee further away watching. The crowd was silent, the opposing team down on one knee. It seemed all eyes were on him. He heard the announcer say his name and number and state that there seemed to be some kind of injury on the field. He let out of a scream of pain as the EMT tried to move his leg, then gave up saying something to the coach, who just looked at him and nodded. The paramedic told him to stay put while they headed for the stretcher. But like hell he was going out on a stretcher, he was fine. He groaned, feeling the tears fall, the pain like a white hot iron all through his right leg. He looked over at his team and held his arms out, Liam and Louis stood, helping him up, one on each side. They more or less lifted him so he wasn't really on the ground walking, he hissed in pain and the crowd clapped, both sides. He faintly smiled at the good sportsmanship, but his smile faded as soon as they helped him into the back of the ambulance and the EMT told him it looked like he shattered his kneecap. His dreams went up in smoke..

~~~

"So how long do you have to stay here?" Liam asked, leaning back into the semi-comfortable hospital chair, looking at the moping 18-year old Niall in front of him, laying in the bed. His right leg all casted up from ankle to just above his knee. Niall shrugged, all he seemed to do lately. Liam sighed. "Come on...if you stay negative chances are you wont get any sort of healed, quicker..be positive" He said, smiling and Niall wished he could lean over and slap the smile off of his stupid face. He envied Liam in some ways. Liam was perfect. He was generally always optimistic, motivated, he was one of the top players on the team, along with Louis and himself, He got perfect grades, like perfect A's, one B. Niall got All B's and one C. He wasn't going to be a doctor or a lawyer. He wanted to be an athlete. That's all he ever wanted to do, so that's what he pushed himself to be. Louis was the same as Liam though, always happy, always talking, always smiling, perfect grades. Only difference is that he was gay and Liam wasn't. So was Niall though. Gay I mean. He didn't date a whole lot but the whole school knew it. Niall was a flirt, he was a typical jock, except he didnt really sleep around, just flirted and joked. He was a class clown, him and Louis. They were always getting into shenanigans. Niall lived by the motto 'If you're nice to me, ill be nice to you'. Liam sighed at his friends silence and decided to try speaking again. "Is the food any better here? Today all you missed for lunch was the cardboard they sell as pizza." He said, hoping to get anything out of Niall, who was lucky to have such a high metabolism with the amount of food he normally ate. But it made him, him.

But Niall just shrugged looking out the window, thinking. He had a scholarship, full ride, to any college of his choice. A sports one. And now it was possible he wouldn't play again. They got him to the hospital, checked him all out. He had shattered his knee, and broken the bottom part of his leg. However that happened. He had been here two days, they were going through options, like a plate in his knee, etc. And so he waited. The best part about all of this was he didn't have school. Although there was only like two months left, hardly, and he didn't want to slip behind in school. He decided it was karma. Maybe in his past life he was a bad person. Maybe he killed a lot of people. Maybe... his thoughts were cut of by the door slamming open and Louis all but running in, smiling and lifting up some books. After a serious stare Niall determined they were the yearbooks. He faintly smiled, excited. It was his last high school yearbook. Louis handed him his, it had his name and the number from his jersey on the bottom corner etched in. It was provided for the whole team. He smiled and relaxed, and they spent the next hour going through the book, laughing at all the candid pictures taken, one being them at practice, Liam had his hands on his hips and looked like he was arguing, another was Niall smiling at the camera through a bite of cheeseburger, Louis by him making the bunny ears behind his head. He smiled, glancing at them. He loved those guys.

He flipped to the next page and It was on high school sweethearts. There was a few pictures all throughout the page with the names by them. The yearbook club went through and took pictures of the couples that had been together longer than a year, because in highschool if you are together longer than that you pretty much pass the quota. Niall's eyes stopped on the picture of Louis and Harry. Harry was Louis's boyfriend, they had been together since the end of freshman year. Louis was leaning back into Harry, making a weird face while Harry just looked at him like the most loving person on earth. He envied them as well. They were perfect for eachother. Happy. Harry was huge. Taller than Louis, slightly more muscular, he was on the track team. He had a whole different group of friends, but they worked. They were soulmates. Liam spoke first.

"How much shit do you think the school is going to get for that picture slipping in there?" He asked, and Niall was confused for a few moments before he realized that Liam was talking about the Louis and Harry one. It was showing gay relationships, and chances are some of the stupid rich homophobic people in the area would throw a fit and try to sue. He didn't understand it. People loved him, and they all knew he was gay. Maybe it was because he was a popular athlete that people looked the other way. Because he had seen a few other kids in the school get bullied and called fag, he stepped in when he could, when he seen it happen but..Niall figured he would never understand the way that the human mind works. Louis laughed.

"Bring it on..im in the mood to deal with assholes" He said. Niall smiled and leaned his head back to the pillow closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. At least he wouldn't have to deal with school for at least two weeks.. then it would be done with. And hopefully he would graduate. And maybe be able to play on the team again. Or keep his scholarships... Most likely not though. He sighed and slipped back into a depressing state of mind.. no school would want him now. He had no future...


	2. Chapter 2

It was a week later,about 3 on a Friday when Liam and Louis showed up, they were planning to stay for the weekend, like normal. They had a game later that night, Niall of course wouldn't be playing but he had somehow convinced his mom to let him go and watch. He was on crutches, but he had gotten pretty good at maneuvering with them. He got to go back to school next Monday, and he wasn't sure he was excited about it but it would be better than what he had managed to do this week,and would probably do this following week,which was pretty much just sit at home and eat. He looked up from the couch, his foot propped on the coffee table, a bag of chips in his hand and the TV on some stupid show when Louis plopped to his right and Liam sat on the other side of Louis, taking the remote, they handed him the yearbook along with a stack of homework, and he sighed, looking at it. It was a big deal kind of, his senior year, the yearbook, handing it around for people to sign, signing other peoples, etc. It was something he would look back on in however many years and laugh at, rereading the things people wrote, etc. But Louis and Liam took it to the school for him, handing it around for a few days, getting god knows who to write god knows what, to be honest Niall was a little worried. He watched as Liam and Louis started to fight over what to watch on TV. Niall just ignored them and wiped his chip covered fingers on his pants before opening the yearbook and skipping to the back four pages, he smiled instantly. There was a lot of writing, male, female, different colored pens and a few ones in pencil.

He started reading, smiling at some, chuckling at others, aware of Louis reading over his shoulder. Most of them were short and said something like 'stay funny' or 'stay cool'. Some were telling him to get better soon, a few of them were just phone numbers and names by them. He smiled and moved on to reading more. A handful of them were long, talking about memories made in high school and things he didn't want to forget, they brought a blinding smile to his face. Louis' and Liam's were among those. He flipped to the back page as Louis looked away, pulling out his phone and standing, most likely to make a call. Even if it was to his mom he didn't like to make a phone call in front of people, says it made him nervous to have people listening in. The back page was covered in more writing, and weird doodles of hearts and smiley faces by some girls names and numbers, he rolled his eyes slowly, they honestly couldn't take a hint, but he would be lying if he said the attention wasn't to die for. His eyes skimmed to the bottom of the page, where a small paragraph was written in near perfectly scrolled handwriting, it caught his attention immediately, the black ink stained onto the paper. He lifted the book closer and started to read.

"Im never sure what to write in these, its generally all corny stuff, as I see on the past few pages, so ill ramble in my writing and hope something comes out right. Im sorry that you got hurt, it shouldn't have happened to you. But you should smile through it, try glancing into a mirror when you smile, it could brighten your day like it does mine. Everything happens for a reason and you shouldn't lose hope. In the future you are really going to be someone, ask anyone and they will agree. Whether its a famous athlete or a killer musician. (You could be a model:) ) You have endless possibilities laid out for you. I hope you find everything that you look for in life. You're talented, I know, I have spent my time watching the practices from the distance, or paused while walking past the music room after school to hear you, and now ive just outted myself as a stalker. Great. Chances are that you and I are a story that will never get told, its possible that what you are is a daydream ill never get to hold, at least ill have talked to you in a way. Stay beautiful. x"

Niall was 85% sure that he had died by the time he reached the end. His cheeks hurt from the smile. He reread it a few times and then slowly frowned as he realized there was no name to it. He flung his arm over slapping Liam's shoulder.

"Oww. What?" He asked. Looking away from the tv. Niall shoved the yearbook to him pointing.

"Who's that??" He asked, his voice rushed and seemingly twenty octaves higher. Liam squinted his eyes and read.

"That's Amy. The names right there" he said. Pointing to the one in the middle of the page.. Niall groaned and looked to the bottom jabbing his finger against the page.

"Not that one..this one. The one written in black. There's no name" he said. Liam squinted his eyes at the page and read quickly, smiling when he reached the bottom, letting out a mocking sounding "Aww". Niall rolled his eyes again. "Shut it....who is it?" He asked. Liam shrugged and handed it back. Niall yelled for Louis and it only took a few moments before Louis came running inside phone still to his ear.

"God..What? Im on the phone" He whined. Niall thrusted the yearbook in his direction, pointing frantically.

"Who's handwriting is this?" He asked. Louis sighed.

"Dude I don't know handwriting's" he said, not even looking. Niall groaned and pouted until Louis rolled his eyes and looked. His jaw slowly dropped and he 'Aww'd' too.

"Haz, ill call you back in a second.....yeah......no im ok...Ni has a mystery admirer in his yearbook" He said, pausing for a moment, then smiling and turning away from the guys on the couch mumbling an 'I love you too' then hanging up. Liam made a big 'Aww' noise and Niall smiled, normally would go along but for right now he was to focused on his possible soul mate.

~~~

"Im telling you. That's a dudes handwriting" Louis argued, sliding his cleats on. They were all in the locker room for the game that night getting ready. Well..Niall was just there leaning back on his crutches talking. He was going to watch the game. It was 6 at night. The game started in like fifteen minutes. They had spent the last few hours going over who it could be and arguing over whether or not it was a boy or girl that wrote it. Niall wanted it to be a guy, of course, but his luck it was probably a girl. Liam said it was a girl's handwriting, and Louis argued the latter. Niall sighed, his mind running over everyone he knew. This person paid attention to him, loved him, but didn't step up, and still didn't step up so he could love them back. He groaned lowly listening to them argue.

"Shut up... Just drop it.." Niall mumbled. He turned and made his way out, somehow managing to get over the grass and to the bleachers, sitting in the front. People were around, talking, buzzing with excitement. Coach turned and smiled at him, motioning for him to come up through the fence and sit on the team bench on the edge of the field, Niall shook his head, not really feeling like moving for a little. He looked around the busy crowd and smiled as Harry sat by him, hood pulled up over his ridiculous mop of curly hair. He put his hands in the front pocket and shot Niall a smile.

"Hey. I didn't figure you would be here" He said. Niall smiled kind of and shrugged.

"Im here to support the team. Like you" He said, causing Harry to laugh

"Im only here to support the team a little. Im mainly only here to see my boyfriend get all sweaty on the field. I honestly don't understand the sport at all..." He said, causing Niall to laugh, in a good mood. They team came running out and the game started. Harry looked over. "So what was this about a secret admirer in your yearbook?" He asked. Niall groaned and leaned back, taking his time and explaining. Harry just stared at him, an animated expression on his face the whole time. When he finished explaining Harry smiled.

"That's pretty much soul mate material...you have to find him. And yes im sure its a him..." He said. Niall smiled nodding his head and turning his attention back to the game. They were losing pretty bad.

"I know.. I plan on it..I just don't know when, or how.." He said. Niall just watched the game. Nose crinkling as a bad play was made. Smiling and getting excited when things picked up. At halftime Niall stood, carefully balancing on one foot and holding the side of the bleachers he was thirsty. Harry jumped up as Louis approached the fence, smiling, wiping his face on a towel. The fence was only about waist high, just there to keep the people from getting clobbered. He leaned over and met Harry halfway in a kiss. Niall rolled his eyes and hopped to the fence, not wanting to use his crutches. He leaned on it and talking to the coach, who was grilling him for being here when he should be resting and healing so he can get back on the field. It was good to know he hadn't given up on him. He didn't notice the few people behind him on the bleachers that came sitting around where Harry was until about ten minutes later when halftime was over. He stood there leaned against the fence watching, hating himself for not being able to be out there.

"Niall, come sit back down and watch. Theres a few other people you should meet, if you're going to be sitting at the games you should know the losers you'll be sitting with" Harry shouted. Niall sighed, he hated when Harry referred to himself and his friends as the losers or the rejects, granted he hadn't met his friends yet but he knew Harry wasn't. He was cool and honestly Niall preferred him over Louis most days. He turned and hopped back, dropping himself onto the bleachers. "You should seriously use your crutches" Harry said, Niall smiled and shook his head.

"Mkay, Ma...Ill get right on it" He said, glancing back to the game then the few people around them sitting. It was a girl and two guys. All looking at him. He smiled at them. Harry started the introductions, starting with the girl.

"This is Clara, That's Adam, and That's Zayn" He said, pointing to them. Clara was pretty, shorter build, thin. Long red hair. She smiled at him. If he was straight he would go for her. He looked at Adam next, he was hot, he gave off this bad boy appearance, much like the guy next to him, Zayn. Who just let a small smile curve on his lips and he nodded at Niall in acknowledgement before shooting Harry some look that Niall didn't understand. Adam leaned forward and got into a conversation immediately. He was funny. And built pretty big for not playing any sports. He looked strong. He had black hair cropped at his ears and blue eyes. Niall was never really one for blue eyes but they looked good on him. He spent most of the rest of the game flirting with Adam back and forth, he was sweet. At the end before Niall piled in the car with Louis, Liam, and Harry to head back to his house, they exchanged numbers, not noticing Harry's mood change and his quick talking to Louis, and Zayn. He got home and they all piled around watching movies until they fell asleep, Niall still texting Adam, part of him actually believing that maybe he was the one that wrote in his yearbook..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More soon:) comment your thoughts:)


	3. Chapter Three

Zayn rolled his eyes and walked out of the school the following Friday, not in the mood to wait for anyone. Harry caught up to him as he got out to his car though. Harry grabbed his arm causing Zayn to groan and turn quickly.

"What?" He snapped, instantly feeling bad as Harry frowned. He realized he was being a jerk but honestly he didn't care. His last week had been nothing but hell. He had refused to talk to Adam at all, although he hadn't been at school much, he was probably at Niall's house with him. The thought made Zayns eyes narrow. He had been avoiding Harry and Clara, both of them were the ones that convinced him to write that in Niall's yearbook. And not even a day after he does it, Niall ends up with Adam, at least he assumed they were together. From the ridiculous flirting at last fridays game and Adam was talking about him when he actually showed up at school. It hurt, and he was angry. Adam had just started coming to that school at the beginning of the year so its not like they were tight, and he didn't let Adam in that he was pretty much head over heels for Niall, so yeah, it was probably his fault because Adam didn't know but..whatever. Harry leaned back against the car.

"Its Friday..Louis has practice..and you've been avoiding talking to any of us since last Friday.. I know why.. Im probably one of the only people that do know...so come to the practice with me and we can talk..please.." Harry asked, pouting and begging. Zayn let a smaller sigh slip past his lips and he nodded, turning and following Harry to the bleachers by the field. He really didn't have much else to do besides go home and mope for the weekend and sit in anticipation to see Niall again. He was supposed to be coming back Monday, and Zayn was excited about it too, he missed seeing his face, his smile, everything. He sat and leaned back pulling his hood up, watching the team do their warm ups. Harry looked at him.

"Zayn he didn't know..and you should have said something to him that first night. I don't know why you didnt" He said. Zayn just shrugged and Harry laid into him again. "Look, im just saying. It took a lot for us to convince you to do that, I cant believe you didn't even put your initials, I bet if he knew it was you he wouldn't be with Adam. You need to speak up." He insisted. Zayn just shook his head again.

"No. If hes happy Im not going to bust in and be a home wrecker. Ive gone almost three years without being with him, just liking him. Its fine. Ill live..." He mumbled shrugging, trying to act nonchalant about it but inside he felt like he was dying. Harry noticed. 

"No. You're just scared he will reject you.." he said, then he dropped the subject and made small talk. Zayn watched the practice, responding when appropriate, dreading Monday. He was excited to see Niall again, but pretty much dreaded what else he assumed he would see, like Niall with Adam. 

~~

Monday came far to quick in Niall's opinion. He rolled in the bed slapping the table there for his phone. He found it and lifted it, opening one eye and hitting the snooze on his alarm. He groaned and pulled the blankets back up closing his eyes. Nine minutes later his alarm rudely reminded him he had to wake up. He sat up, knowing that if he snoozed again he was going to be late for school. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stood up. He hopped to the dresser, catching himself on it as he almost fell, still at a refusal to use the crutches unless he thought it was necessary.

He tried, and failed, to get a pair of pants on. He groaned at his thick cast and slid on a pair of silver basketball shorts, not really caring. It was warm out anyways. He hobbled to the closet and was searching for a shirt when his phone went off. He grabbed a plain blue tshirt and made his way across the room to his phone. He unlocked it and opened the message. It was Adam asking if he needed a ride to school. He smiled, nodding to himself as he typed out a yes please. He then quickly followed up with a text to Liam letting him know that he didn't need a ride after all this morning. 

Niall had his license but since he broke his leg he couldn't drive. Which sucked. He was pretty much home bound unless someone felt pity and gave him a ride. He almost squealed with joy when the reply from Adam came through: 'be there in 15:)'. Niall quickly finished getting ready, sliding his shoe on and grabbing his crutches. He made his way down the steps and plopped at the table. 

"How'd you sleep?" His mom asked, setting food down. He shrugged and grumbled a reply through a mouth full of food. She just smiled at him and turned. He glanced at the clock as he finished up. It had been like ten minutes. He coughed a little, never having eaten so quick in his life. 

"Liam picking you up?" She asked. He shook his head, smiling. 

"Adam is" he said. She glanced back at him, watching him bounce with bundles of enthusiasm. She had met him a few times, he came over to the house and kept Niall company over the past week, and she didn't mind because he seemed to bring Niall's mood up. She suspected they were together, but honestly didn't want to just go an assume. She knew Niall was gay, and loved him still the same. She just wasn't sure about Adam though, call it mothers intuition but something was off about him. She was going to open her mouth and say something but a car horn outside came first. Niall jumped up grabbing his crutches and kissing her cheek as he got to the door and out. She sighed and turned, clearing the table. 

~~~

The car ride was short, much to Niall's dismay. He would have rathered that it was longer so he had time to spend with Adam, they didn't have any classes together, just lunch. They pulled in and he smiled slightly, almost missing the school. Adam shut off the car and got out, moving and helping Niall out. Niall smiled at him and slid to his tiptoe, pressing his lips to Adam's. It was a week and a few days in, they had kissed a few times. But nothing more than that, Adam hadn't tried and Niall honestly hadn't thought about it. Niall looked over as Louis and Harry walked up. They all stood there talking, Adam being a little quieter just watching them all, arm around Niall's shoulder. Niall didn't notice the glares Louis was sending to Adam, Harry had told him. And Louis was really just being over protective. Not to mention he was a hopeless romantic. After awhile Liam came up, hugging Niall and asking how he was feeling. Niall smiled. 

"'M good. Pretty good actually" he said, watching more and more kids arrive. After a few more minutes they all headed inside, Niall stopped at his locker. Adam leaned in kissing his cheek before turning and heading the other way, Niall smiled after him for a few moments before turning and pulling out his books. Sighing as he realized that he wouldn't be able to carry them and be on his crutches. Louis appeared as if out of no where. 

"You have first hour with Powell right?" He asked. Niall nodded. 

"Yeah. It's the only class I don't have with you" Niall said. Louis nodded and turned. Looking. He disappeared but returned a few moments later dragging some guy behind him. Niall remembered him from the game Friday.

"Hey, Zayn right?" He asked, the guy nodded and looked at Louis in confusion.

"You have Powell first hour right?" Louis asked, Zayn nodded. "Good. Can you carry Niall's notebook and book? Please" he asked. Niall sighed. 

"Louis.. god. It's fine. I'll figure it out." He said, slamming his locker and dropping his pen in his pocket, holding his books and leaning on his crutches awkwardly. Zayn smiled, and Niall noticed his teeth, they were perfect, the white contrasted with his skin and it made his smile all the better, it was infectious, like Harry's. 

"Before you kill yourself.. its no trouble" he said, reaching out and taking them. Louis smiled and walked away, secretly doing a victory dance. Niall smiled and nodded, moving by Zayn through the crowds of people to class. That was the start of an amazing friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my lord. I feel like this chapter was so blah and terribly written. I'm so sorry! How are you guys liking it so far? Any future predictions? Thank you guys for your comments on the last chapter, they were awesome:)


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. Its official you guys. I really SUCK. It took me forever to update this. Mainly because I've been going through some stuff in my actual life..I'm sorry if this update is bleh, I tried to make it good and get to the point at the same time!! Thank you all for your comments, I loved them:)

"No..If you say that the canned squirt-able cheese isn't the best thing to hit earth since Jesus, you and I cannot be friends" Louis said, earning a high five from Niall across the lunch table, an eye-roll from Harry and a half snort from Zayn. Niall sat between Zayn and Adam on the one side of the table, Louis sat between Harry and Liam on the other side, Clara by him, talking quietly. Lunch was almost over and they were all done eating, just sitting around and talking now, just being the close knit group they had become. Niall had the small feeling that no one in the group liked Adam, or liked him and Adam together, they all seemed to just change the subject or make weird comments, It had been a few weeks since the football game, and Niall was pretty sure he liked him more and more each day. He was just sweet, and funny. So different than other people. And dating him had got him a few more friends, like Clara and Zayn, he didn't even know their names before, and now he and Zayn had gotten really close, and Clara was probably his favorite girl in the world, aside from his mother of course. 

"That cheese is nasty" Adam spoke, Niall dropped his jaw whipping his head to look at him, fake gasping. Louis spoke up. 

"Oh my god. Rot in hell." Louis said, causing a laugh to erupt from Zayn and Harry. Niall smiled and Adam rolled his eyes, looking away and to his drink, Niall smiled and leaned over, pressing his lips to Adam's cheek.

 "He's kidding, babe. Take a joke...Smile" He mumbled, Adam just turned his face to Niall's catching his lips and kissing him back. After a few seconds Liam groaned and started pelting little pieces of his eraser at them. 

"I'd like to keep my food down you guys.." He mumbled, Niall pulled away, slightly flushing, he didn't notice Zayn's sudden mood change. Niall, however, was in a great mood. He got a letter from his second choice school saying they still wanted him. His first choice hadn't replied but the second was there and waiting for him to graduate. They had said they would even pay for up to a year of physical therapy for his leg so he could get back to playing shape, and if that year was up and he couldn't play than of course the scholarship would be suspended but he had a good feeling that he would heal and be able to play again. Nothing could bring him down, until later anyways.

~~~  

It was that night, a Friday, right before the final game that the happy couple had their first fight, not just a small bickering, but a real fight, a big fight. One that set the course for the next few weeks in motion. Niall stood, leaned on his crutches in Adam's house, his dad was out back doing something, his mom was never home. 

"Please..If we are going to make it, we need to leave now, Adam" Niall whined, fingers playing with the foam grips on his crutches, Adam scoffed, glancing up at him. 

"Why is it so important that you go? You cant play." He snapped, tone harsh. Niall frowned for a second, but then let his feisty side kick in. 

"Because it fucking is, im sorry that you have nothing better to do on a Friday night, but I want to go root on my team for the last game of my senior year, whether or not youre coming is your problem" he said, turning to make his way to the door, Adam was up quickly, pushing him back against the wall, Niall's eyes widened until they were near the size of a comic book characters. Adam was glaring, looking mad. 

"You don't get to talk to me like that, do you hear me? If I say something, I mean it. Don't sass me like you're my boss...If you want to go, then go. Call someone else to pick you up. Im not going" He growled out, Niall just nodded, waiting until Adam released him and walked into the kitchen before he pulled out his phone, first name he found was Harry's. He clicked it, not bothering to search for Liam or Louis; knowing that they would be to busy getting ready for the game to come all the way across town to get him. He pinned it between his ear and shoulder and bent, slinging his bag over his other shoulder, awkwardly hobbling out of the house and down the front steps, a little scared. He did pretty good at hiding the shake in his voice as Harry answered the phone, he was obviously already at the game, from the obnoxiously loud talking around him. 

"Hey..Adam didn't really want to come to the game tonight and..I would like to be there. I need a ride, any way you could come get me? I swear ill give you gas money" He said, almost sounding as pathedic as he felt, but Harry agreed quickly and hung up a few moments later, promising he was on his way. He got there within ten minutes, Clara in the car with him talking up a storm, Niall smiled at the familiar face and slid in the back seat. They got back to the school and Niall had near forgotten the whole Adam situation, brushing it off as him having a moment of anger, or a bad day, everyone was allowed those, right? Adam apologized a a few times and Niall accepted graciously, forgiving him. 

He didn't lay a hand on him again for a few days later, when he hit him. It started out as an innocent day. Niall got up, he got dressed, Adam picked him up and they went to school. They went their separate ways to get to first hours, Adam walked with Clara one way and Niall turned and walked with Zayn another. Zayn had all but last hour with him, and it was still pretty crazy to Niall that they had gone to the same school forever and had all but one class together and they were just now friends. Zayn was amazing, he was funny, smart, a really good guy. Niall had grown somewhat attached to seeing the familiar dark hair and deep eyes each day, it was relaxing to be around Zayn, he didn't have to fake anything. And that was nice. The classes all went fine, and everything else was good until lunch, when Niall was joking around with all of the guys at the table, and Clara, and Adam started to get a little short with him. He would snap his responses and just roll his eyes when Niall spoke. None of them really noticed, besides Niall, who just brushed it off and talked to Zayn, smiling and talking animatedly when Zayn put his arm around him in a half hug. Adam narrowed his eyes and looked away, ignoring Niall until that night, it was a Tuesday night, not much going on. Niall had plans to go home, shower, do some work, and sleep. But Adam called, and his mom agreed that he could come over if Niall cleaned his room, to which he just groaned and made his way up the steps carefully, throwing the clothes into the basket in the corner and calling it good. 

He dropped himself on the bed and leaned back, grabbing up his yearbook, he flipped to the back again and smiled, rereading everything. He realized then that he never really asked Adam if it was him that wrote in his yearbook, but he just assumed. He figured he would ask him later when he showed up. And ask him he did. He wasn't expecting the yearbook to get ripped from his hands and Adams glare to hit the page as he recognized the handwriting as Zayns. He and Zayn weren't extremely close, he wasn't that close into the Harry-Zayn-Clara group, but he was friends with them, and he knew the handwriting. He groaned lowly and tossed the yearbook

"Of course its me that wrote that. Its stupid that you would think otherwise" He snapped. Niall frowned and just nodded his head. Adam spoke quickly, still tensed. "I don't want you spending a bunch of time with Zayn anymore either. I don't like the way he looks at you. Like you're a fucking piece of meat. You're mine. So don't let him hang on you either." He said, a harsh matter-of-fact tone in his words. Niall dropped his jaw and looked up from the bed.

"That's not even fair! Hes just my friend. I can hang out with whoever I want, you aren't the boss of me, you're not my mother, and you are no-" he was cut off by a hard and quick slap to the mouth. His eyes widened and filled with tears, shocked, he put his hand on his mouth. Adams expression changed to a sorry one and he apologized, Niall just nodded and let it go, again pushing away the thoughts of what really just happened. 

A few days later they fought once more, again about Zayn. This time it was because Niall ended up in Zayns coat. In his defense it was cold in third hour, the one before lunch, and Zayn sat right next to him, he wasn't wearing it because he wasn't cold. It was something simple to Niall, a friendly gesture. But Adam seen it for what it really was, he wasn't stupid. He recognized Zayns handwriting that day, he watched Zayn look at HIS boyfriend like Adam didn't exist. And Niall being so unaware of it all. It ended that night in another fight. Niall was at Adams this time, and Adam was mad. He started talking, yelling that Niall was supposed to stay away from Zayn, Niall got smart mouthed back, like he is, he can be pretty lippy sometimes but its what makes him himself. Adam turned on his heel and slammed his palms into Niall's chest, knocking him back hard, his body hit the edge of the dresser. A few minutes later Adam calmed down, apologized, and helped Niall, who just nodded and stayed quiet through the pain. The next few days were calm.

~~~ 

But a week later it hit again, worse. Each small fight (at least one a day) ended with Niall injured in some way, a small bruise on his arm from where Adam pinched tight while telling Niall to shut up, a line of small bruises from his fingers where he gripped Niall. Each time Niall would just accept it and move on, ignoring it and pretending it wasn't happen. Adam was usually pretty smart about it, he knew not to touch Niall's face or lower arms, and if he did Niall just wore a long sleeve the next day, without being asked or told. He knew it was expected of him. He hoped the last few weeks went a little quicker, he could graduate and be gone, out of state for school. He didn't really want to leave Liam, Louis, Harry, or even Zayn and Clara. He loved them all, but he couldn't wait to get away from Adam..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What'd you think (honestly)? Any future predictions??:)


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh my lord you guys. Im so sorry for the late updates. But ive had to type them all on my phone before because my laptop was broken, and I hated typing that much on my phone. But I got my laptop fixed!!!:) YAY!! Heres an update! Enjoy!

The secret was kept for another week, no one had caught n that behind closed doors Adam went from world’s best boyfriend to the biggest jerk in the work, but things had been relatively calm. He hadn’t been laying so much as a hand on Niall for the past few days, and it had put Niall on edge, waiting for it. That Friday morning Adam had come to pick him up for school, like normal. Niall slid in the car holding his bag and crutches on his lap as Adam drove the familiar route, speaking small phrases when spoken to, trying to stay in his good graces. He almost got a leg cramp from sitting so tensed but he didn’t, luckily. He was waiting for Adam to turn and snap, he didn’t, and he just turned and kissed Niall on the cheek as they pulled into the school parking lot. He shut off the car and smiled to the passenger seat, where Niall was turning to grab the door, he seen their group of friends standing not too far away. His movements were halted by Adams hand on his leg. He turned to the fakest smile he had ever seen. 

“Why don’t you stay with me tonight? I’ll have the house to myself” he said, smiling still. Niall was pretty sure that Adam could smell the fear coming off of him but he didn’t really care too much. He sat quietly, maintaining eye contact and working hard to think up a good lie. 

“I… I can’t, I have homework. And..” he stammered out, watching Adams eyebrow raise up, his fingers gripped on Niall's leg, to the point where Niall was squirming and almost whining in pain. 

“You have the rest of the weekend to do homework, it won’t hurt to spend a night with your boyfriend” he said, voice calm, but sounding like a challenge at the same time. Niall just nodded and Adam smiled getting out, Niall rubbed his hand on his leg where the hand was and opened his door, trying not to wince when Adams hand shot out to help him up out of the car. He took his hand and then watched as Adam grabbed his bag like the loving boyfriend he wasn’t. Niall leaned forward on his crutches and made his way to their group, ignoring the stare he was getting from Zayn, he was sure he noticed the strange interaction in the car but figured if he didn’t acknowledge it than it would probably be dropped, hopefully. 

~~

“So what are you doing tonight? I’m going to be home doing pretty much nothing” Zayn asked during one of their classes. He was turned sideways in his seat looking at Niall who sat behind him. Niall shifted kind of, sighing. 

“I’m…staying with Adam...” He mumbled out, Zayn lifted an eyebrow high on his head at the younger boy’s shaky unsure voice. Niall shrugged again in an attempt to dismiss the subject. It didn’t work so well, Zayn was stubborn and didn’t lay off. 

“Are you guys ok? I don’t really want to get all in your business but this morning in the car you guys seemed to be…having a tense moment, and you don’t really act like yourself lately, you,” he was cut off by the teacher shushing them from her desk. His voice had gotten a little loud. He turned more and leaned in. “I mean. You were happy when you told us about the school and the scholarship but that was last week and you seem to be much quieter than you used to be. What’s going on?” He asked, laying his hand over Niall’s in an attempt to comfort him, and it did comfort him, he wasn’t sure why though. “You can talk to me” He finished. Niall faintly smiled, and for a moment he considered breaking and telling him everything. He considered crying and begging Zayn to protect him. But that would be too easy, and life wasn’t easy. Zayn was Adam's friend, so he would take his side. Like friends should. Niall just met Zayn's eyes and shrugged, leaning back in his seat. Zayn frowned and turned, tapping his pencil to his fingers lightly, thinking, determined to find out what was going on. 

The last month had been hell on Zayn, he hated seeing Niall with Adam, but he dealt and ignored Louis’ whines that he should step up and win Niall over, he just pushed it all away, arguing that if Niall was happy it really didn’t matter, it was a lie but it seemed to shut Louis up for a few minutes each time. But lately Niall wasn’t happy. They had all noticed it. He was quieter, whenever something was said at the lunch table or someone asked him a question Zayn had noticed that Niall’s eyes would automatically slide to Adam, like he was asking permission to talk or something. And it initially pissed Zayn off, he confided in Harry, who insisted that if something was wrong Niall would say something. Zayn hoped so...

~~

*That Night*

“Yeah mum...I’m ok... yes... I ate…mmhmm…we are watching the game and then I am heading to bed... I can do my homework tomorrow…ma…..ok.. yeah. Love you too” Niall sighed and pulled his phone away from his ear, a small smile playing on his face. He loved his mom to death but she could talk for hours. He turned back to the tv watching, suddenly aware of how close Adam had gotten while he was on the phone. The house was dark, it was nearing 10. 

Niall had managed to waist a few hours at the school after school claiming he needed to talk to some teachers and go to study hall, and he did need to go to study hall, finals were coming up and he was not at all prepared, but he didn’t need to do it then. He was hoping Adam would forget about him staying and just leave him, no such luck. He also hoped his mom would say no, he silently begged her to say no when he called, but she agreed. So here they were, sitting on the couch. Adam slid his hand to Niall’s thigh and rested it there, making Niall slightly tense, Adam glanced over at him. 

“Relax” He murmured, and Niall tried, he really did, to make himself relax but he couldn’t. Adam leaned over more, kissing Niall’s neck in a way that made his heart pick up, but not in a good way. His hand slowly slid up and down Niall’s leg, massaging it. After about five minutes of this Niall couldn’t do it anymore. He shook his head, unable to even pretend to like it. 

“Stop..”

*I’m sorry you guys…for personal reasons I couldn’t actually write out this scene, but youll know what happens, ill hint towards it in the next chapter and kind of the end of this one, if not comment and ill fix this and let you know*

It was probably a moment Zayn will never forget, the moment his suspicions were confirmed. It was two in the morning that sSaturday, he was fast asleep when his phone rang. He rolled in the bed and slapped his hand around on the night stand until he found it. He opened his left eye enough to see the green key and he slid it over mumbling a sleepy hello. He was greeted by a friendly female who introduced herself as Nancy from Mercy West Hospital. His eyes shot open as she asked if he knew a Niall Horan. He quickly said he had. She told him Niall was there and listed him as the emergency contact when they asked who to call. He was out of the bed in seconds, barely sliding on a sweatshirt over his bare chest. He didn’t sleep in shirts, too constricting and it was hot outside, he wore sweatpants and socks. He grabbed his keys and slid his shoes on running out. He spent the car ride over there wondering what happened and why Adam wasn’t there to take him home, or call Zayn. His fingers tensed as he imagined the worst, but he brushed it off and tried to keep calm as the hospital came into view. He made his way inside and was directed to trauma room 4, where he opened the curtain and was faced with one of the worst things he could ever imagine. Niall had a black eye and a few small cuts on his arms. Zayn felt his heart stop. Niall looked up from the hospital bed, fully dressed just sitting there. And he frowned. 

 

"Told 'em I could have walked home..or…hobbled….they insisted on calling someone.." he mumbled. Zayn frowned and bent by the bed touching his shoulder. 

 

"What happened? I thought you were staying at Adam’s tonight. Where is he?" Zayn asked, looking around. The perfect prince wasn't anywhere to be seen. Niall shrugged slowly, wincing in pain. 

 

"I fell down the steps trying to slip out to get fresh air and his neighbor seen..called the ambulance. He's at his place..prolly asleep... 'M fine..can I just go home and sleep?.." he asked, looking pitiful. He was a downright terrible liar and Zayn didn't believe his story for a second, why would a neighbor be awake and outside at two in the morning, but he let it slide, trying to believe that Niall knew how to take care of himself. Although Zayn wanted to be the one go care for him, to take care of him. Zayn sat in the chair by the hospital bed watching Niall, who squirmed slightly under the dark gaze. 

 

"Ni.." he started, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. "I'm not stupid...its a spiral fracture the doctor said.. you didn't fall.. do you know how to get a spiral fracture? Your arm has to be twisted, most likely behind your back, I've had one once..got into a fight.. kid pinned me to the wall, twisting my arm behind me for control.. I've been patient...I've let you lie to me..but dammit.. I'm asking you not to right now.. not anymore.." Zayn asked, his voice turning to desperation at the end. Niall sat in the bed, small cut on his face and his left arm in a sling. 

 

"I..." He started. Then stopped, then he did what Zayn wasn't expecting. He cried. Zayn was up in a second, arms around him, careful of his arm, and cuddling him close. 

 

"Shh.. I'm here.. you're safe..." He mumbled, holding him close, trying to ignore how right it felt. Niall sniffled, slowly calming. Zayn just gently patted his back, kind of rubbing it at the same time "It'll be ok...I promise.." he said. Niall shook his head slightly, burying it further in Zayn's neck. 

 

"Why don't you think it'll be ok?...do you trust me?.." he asked, pulling back slightly and putting his hand on Niall's chin. Niall shrugged slowly, and Zayn noticed for the first time the fading yellow of a bruise on his cheek by the cut. It was barely there, covered by fading makeup. Zayn frowned and dropped his lips to Niall's cheek, softly placing a kiss there, grateful that Niall didn't seem freaked out by it. 

 

"Is it Adam?” Zayn asked, arms still around Niall, who shook his head fast. 

 

"N...n..no..h..he loves me.." he stuttered out, he was a terrible liar, and Zayn saw red, his smaller suspicions being confirmed. He was abusing Niall, Zayn's Niall. Niall seen the darkening look in Zayn's face and panicked. Suddenly begging him not to go see Adam, afraid of what he could do to Zayn. Zayn jerked away and started pacing. 

 

"Who the hell does he think he is? Laying his hands on someone like you... He doesn't deserve you.. he.. "Zayn groaned in frustration looking at Niall, for the first time really seeing his terrified expression, his raw emotions laid on his face. He ducked his head away from Zayn in shame. "Ni... Look at me" he said, voice softening as he tried to turn Niall's head to face him. Niall was stubborn. 

 

"I'm so stupid.." he mumbled, Zayn frowned and dropped to his knees by the bed, looking up at Niall, catching his attention. 

 

"Don't talk like that.. you're not. You are brave.. so brave. You're amazing.." Zayn said. Niall shook his head, so Zayn continued. "You're loyal, almost to a fault.. youre smart, you don't let peoples opinion of you change who you are. You're funny. God..you make me laugh harder than anyone I've ever known. You trust way to easily, but its what makes you, you. You make these little noises when you are mad, little sounds of displeasure, to make sure everyone knows your upset. But you wouldn't want anyone hurt or upset back, you would do anything to keep one of us happy. I thank god every day that you fell into my life, Niall. You're not stupid. You're amazing.. perfect. And you don't deserve an asshole treating you like you're nothing.." he said, Niall's eyes were wide and watery, and Zayn wanted to hit himself for pretty much just confessing his love. Niall tugged his shoulder, and Zayn took it as a sign and stood up. Niall hugged him, head on his shoulder. 

 

"Thank you, Zayn…Can we leave….And….can I stay with you…please" He asked, Zayn nodded, honestly he wanted to go pay a visit to Adam but he would do what Niall wanted, because he was whipped. Niall wasn't his, for all he knew Niall didn't even like him. But he was whipped. They got back to the house and luckily no one had woken up in Zayn’s hurried leave earlier. He helped Niall up the steps and told him he would take him tomorrow to go get his pain medication the doctor prescribed. He got him into his room and to the bed, pulling the shoes off of his feet, watching Niall wince with every small movement he made was painful. Zayn helped him back to a laying position and grabbed a spare pillow to sleep on the floor. 

 

"Z...can..Uhm...can you..you can sleep on the bed tonight..." He said, the good hand that wasn't in a sling gently picking at the bottom of his shirt as he laid in the bed. Zayn smiled and tried not to look too excited. He nodded and laid down. It was quiet before Zayn tugged Niall over carefully, cuddling him. Niall smiled slowly, tired, the pain meds kicking in more. Zayn waited until his eyes were almost closed to speak, figuring if he caught him off guard he would have a better chance of getting the truth. 

“What happened?” he asked quietly, Niall frowned, his body slowly tensing from its relaxed state. Zayn instantly regretted speaking. “Nevermind..tomorrow..Ill ask you tomorrow..Youre safe now. Sleep…I got you” He said, sighing in relief as Niall nodded slowly, mumbling a thank you and falling asleep fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm. So what fully happened? Any predictions for that? How about for what zayns going to do, if anything? Again, Im so sorry for the late update but I hope this chapter makes up for it, im sorry if its terrible and it doesnt. I wrote it at like midnight because I needed to get it up for you lovely people that comment pretty regularly!! 
> 
> Also, Im considering getting a beta but im honestly not too sure yet. I feel like there are a lot of errors in my stories. Anyways.. until next time:)


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have to say a huge thank you to my amazing new Beta!! Enjoy!!!

Niall woke up the next morning sore, and slightly cold, he groaned lowly and shifted, remembering everything. He opened his eyes and quickly sat up when he didn’t feel Zayn by him. He immediately panicked, thinking Zayn had left to pay Adam a visit. He touched his arm and groaned, as a shot of pain went up his arm, the cast still on it but it was sore. He looked over to the desk and saw his pain medication already sitting there with a bottle of water. He grabbed the bottle and, with effort, he opened it and popped a pill in his mouth. He sat there for a few more minutes, before deciding he looked like a total mess; his leg was still in a cast, and now his arm was too, which meant he would be unable to use his crutches, rendering him even more helpless. He frowned at the memories that flooded him of how it all happened and slowly looked around again. Zayn’s room was fairly normal, he had a TV, a game console hooked up to it, a whole array of books, not many posters on the wall but there were pictures on it, mainly of his sisters it seemed. Niall smiled softly. It was cute how close Zayn was to his family.   
Niall continued to look around for a few moments, as he patted his pockets for his phone. He groaned and realized he left it at Adam’s. The door opened and a girl stepped in, one of his sisters probably. He knew their names but had never met them. Zayn talked about them like they were his life line some days though, so Niall knew a lot about them.

“Hi,” she started as she walked a little closer. She looked a little younger, so Niall assumed that she was Safaa. She sat on the edge of the bed looking at him, until he was slightly uncomfortable, like Zayn had made him feel in the hospital. Was that a family trait? The same gaze. “I’m Safaa, you’re Niall right?” She asked, Niall nodded slowly.

“Yeah..That’s me” he replied, before adding “Do you know where your brother is?” Still worried that Zayn had gone to see Adam. “Or what time it is?...” She looked at him again, her eyes searching his face for answers.

“What happened?” She asked, ignoring his questions.

“It’s…not really something I think I should tell you. You’re a little young. Where’s Zayn?” He asked again. She sighed, undeterred from her line of thought, she continued. 

“He’s outside making a call, I don’t know what he’s saying because Waliyha pulled me away from the window telling me it’s not my business...I’m 10. I think I’m old enough to know what happened. Did you get into a fight?” She questioned, leaning forward all the way, eyes bright. Niall sighed at her persistence, but still couldn’t be annoyed with her, she was cute and curious.

"Yeah.. It was a fight" he said. Her eyes widened and she smiled, wanting details. He shook his head, a chuckle escaping from his mouth. "That’s all you’re getting from me..." he said. She just smiled.

"You should come down and eat. We already ate, it’s ten, but I’m sure ma will make you more. She loves cooking.." she stated, as she stood up. Niall sighed, slowly realizing he had no idea how he was going to walk or move around. He barely remembers leaving the hospital, and getting up the steps, but he's pretty sure Zayn half carried him. He sighed again, still thinking. Safaa seemed to sense his inner battle and looked around the room. Her eyes landing on Zayn’s chair, by his desk. It rolled. She looked at Niall and grinned.

~~~

 

"Yes I’m sure.. Yeah. Ok. I’ll be here" Zayn mumbled into the phone, before hanging up his second phone call that morning. The first he made to Niall's mom. Just telling her the brief story, not mentioning the abuse. She was worried, and Zayn promised to bring him home later. The second call was to Harry. His dad was a cop, but that wasn't really why he called. He didn't know if Niall wanted to involve law enforcement, probably not. He called because he knew Louis would be with Harry, so that took care of alerting a good portion of their group, and Louis would most likely call Liam for them. Zayn then settled on texting Clara briefly. He wasn’t even going to tell them at first. He had a whole plan laid out, to get up early and visit Adam, but his mom made him promise not to go alone, and to "not do anything he’s going to regret". So killing him was probably out of the question

He sighed and turned, walking back in to check on Niall. He had woken up early and talked to his mom, explaining things. She understood. He hadn't told his family about Niall, or his feelings for him. He had also managed to head out to the pharmacy for Niall’s prescription pain meds, without stopping to visit Adam, so that was a plus.

Zayn stepped into the house, eyes widening and eyebrow rising at the sight in front of him. Niall was sitting three steps from the bottom, legs sprawled out until the bottom of his feet were touching the floor, laughing, face faintly slightly colored on the side by his the bruise, but honestly Zayn was convinced he couldn’t be cuter. Safaa sat on the step behind him and his mom and other sisters stood at the bottom smiling. He let himself smile for a moment before almost panicking.

“How did you get down here??” He asked, eyes even wider. Safaa smiled at him and his mom turned, looking calm. Niall smiled at him, and shrugged.

“Well. I slid into the rolling chair with some difficulty, Safaa here pushed me to the top of the steps where I slid off the chair and down the steps on my butt.. And then I got to the bottom and realized I couldn’t get up to go anywhere so…Here lies my problem” He spoke, a smile growing on his face,, which Zayn returned. “And these ladies cannot assist me in standing..” Niall finished.

“Would you like some assistance from the male kind?” He asked, Niall smiled and nodded, holding a hand out. Zayn slid past his mother and sisters, and bent letting Niall’s arm slide around his neck as he slid his around Niall’s upper waist, hoisting him up allowing Niall to lean on him. Zayn smiled and ignored his sisters knowing glances, as he helped Niall to the kitchen. Zayn placed himself next to Niall as his mom walked throughout the kitchen warming up food. Niall turned, with a lowered voice and a small smile.

“Thank you….” He whispered, chewing on the inside of his bottom lip. Zayn smiled and shrugged, leaning in and kissing Niall’s head as he stood, not really thinking about it as he did it, but immediately grateful that Niall didn’t protest or act weird about it.

“Don’t mention it...I’ll always be there for you” He mumbled as he walked out of the kitchen, smiling like an idiot and getting a little too attached to the idea of Niall needing him, instead of the other way around. He slid up the steps to his room, dropping himself onto the bed, immediately welcomed by the mixture of his and Niall’s scent. It was nice. He heard Niall’s laugh come from downstairs, a smile easily spread across Zayn’s face. His family meant everything to him, and it was giving him serious heart problems, seeing Niall interacting so well with them, and them accepting him. He wasn’t sure how long he lay there, or how long his sister stood in his doorway before speaking, but when she did he jumped, not having noticed her before.

“You’ve got it bad, huh?” Doniya spoke, Zayn glanced at her, sighing, not even sure he could lie and hide it from them. He told them everything, and they told him everything. It was a sibling bond that couldn’t be broken. He stayed rested on the bed, as she made her way over and sat down. “Want to talk about it, lover boy?” She asked, causing Zayn to let out a noise that sounded like a mix between a scoff and a snort. He was saved from having to talk to her any more about the subject. Because his mom yelled up that his friends had arrived. He stood up and made his way down the steps.

~~ 

“You could have told us, Niall. You know that.” Liam said, inching forward from the chair to the right of the couch, where Niall sat squeezed between Harry and Zayn, Niall’s head on Harry’s shoulder. Louis sat in the other chair to the left of the couch, quiet. It was 2 in the afternoon, Zayn’s family had left giving them time to hang out and talk alone, they had hung out all day, mainly talking about Adam. They still didn’t know the whole story, because each time someone would mention it, Niall would seem to tense up, and his breathing rate would increase, almost sending him into a panic attack. He wasn’t ready to talk about that yet. They understood.

“I know… I didn’t want to..It didn’t matter” He said quietly. Louis had stayed quiet throughout most of the conversation, he looked how Zayn felt, beyond angry, seething. But Zayn was a little better at hiding it. Louis scoffed.

“Didn’t matter…Bullshit Niall. You can’t even walk without help from one of us now, or a wheelchair, until your arm heals in a month or so, or until your leg fucking heals in four months.” He snapped, before standing, running his hand through his hair he walked out to the porch shutting the door hard. Liam stood at the same time Zayn did, they both walked out as Niall sat quietly on the couch, cuddled into Harry’s shoulder. They walked out and Zayn turned, shutting the door. Louis was sitting on the porch, face in his hands. The two boys each plopped on one side of Louis.

“Why didn’t I know..Why didn’t I see the signs..God” He groaned, gripping his hair with his hands, his body tensing in anger. Zayn nodded, closing his eyes before he spoke.

“I’m going to pay him a visit, Niall left his phone and bag there. So I’m going to just pretend that’s what I want to go and get…I’m going today, not sure when, probably after I take him back home. Why don’t you come with, Liam you too.” He said, turning. Louis shook his head.

“If I go, blood will be shed” He mumbled, Zayn laughed.

“That’s the point.. I want a shot at him. We all do. But my excuse for going is because Niall’s stuff is there…So us three can go later… Are you guys in?” He asked, beyond thrilled when they nodded.

~~

“No.. I want to go. If not you guys are going to get into trouble” Harry whined, standing outside Niall’s house, he followed them out wondering where they were going. Niall was inside being coddled by his mom. Harry had been worried since they came back inside at Zayn’s, they were all surprisingly relaxed, even Louis, who sighed slowly and turned, pressing his lips to Harry’s.

“No..If anything happens to you I won’t forgive myself. We will be fine. We are just going over to get Niall’s stuff, stay here with him. Please?” He asked, he might have been slightly smaller than Harry, not too much but it was enough that it made him laugh sometimes. Harry was bigger but he wasn’t stronger, he couldn’t fight, he couldn’t play sports. He was wrapped around Louis’ fingers. Louis was smaller but was fairly strong, and he could hold his own in any sort of fight. He was the feistiest out of the group. He didn’t take crap. Harry smiled and nodded slowly laying his head on Louis’ shoulder, kissing his neck. Zayn looked away, exhaling slowly for a few moments. He slid around them and back inside the house to say goodbye to Niall, he didn’t like that he was leaving him. Zayn found him sitting on the couch propped up watching TV, his mom moving around in the kitchen. Zayn stood there awkwardly for a few moments before Niall noticed him and smiled slowly.

“Where are you guys going again?” He asked, his voice laced with worry and a hint of disbelief. Zayn smiled and repeated the same lie, that they were heading to the store to grab some snacks for Niall, and to let Liam and Louis to grab some over-night clothes, they planned on sleeping with Niall tonight, well..Actually he asked them. He was afraid to stay alone, understandable. Zayn walked closer and squatted down.

“Be good, don’t try to get any more injuries please?” Zayn asked, Niall just smiled and nodded his head, putting out his good arm and pulling Zayn into an awkwardly positioned hug, Zayn smiled regardless, and hated that he had to pull away to stand up. He looked down at Niall and then headed out. It was 8pm. They had eaten dinner with Zayn’s family, it was nice. And then Niall ended it by convincing them all to watch a movie over there before coming home to face his mom. Zayn really didn’t plan on heading to Adam's when it was almost dark, but whatever. He walked out and ran into Louis and Harry, who were basically sucking each other’s faces off. Zayn groaned and saw Liam waiting in the car.

“You guys are going to suffocate one day. Let’s go” He mumbled smacking Louis’ arm, walking to the car and starting it. Louis pulled away reluctantly and followed, a stupid smile on his face. The car ride went by quickly, it was probably due to Zayn’s speeding. He was slowly getting more and angrier with each passing mile. He pictured Adam taking a swing at Niall. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn’t know Adam at all. He knew his name and where he lived, but that was it, he never pushed for more. For all they knew, he was some evil and conniving serial killer. They got to his house at about 8:30, and they were pretty shocked to see it dark. Zayn tried the door handle, it was locked, he walked around back with Louis and Liam, trying to remember where he had seen Adam hide the spare key. After some searching, he unlocked it the back door and got in, they all quietly walked through the house. It was quiet, and empty. Adam wasn’t home.

“Dammit.. I wanted a crack at him..” Louis mumbled, Zayn laughed, agreeing. They all searched, but didn’t find Niall’s bag or phone, which was weird. The house was nothing less than they expected to see, torn up, trashed. Zayn felt the anger shoot through him as they got up the stairs and into Adam's room, there were holes in the wall, a little bit of blood on the floor. A broken picture frame. He just glared at the wall for a few moments before they decided to leave, he walked back out and locked the door behind him. He got to the car, and Louis followed, grabbing his phone from the dash to text Harry and let him know. Louis’s eyes grew to the size of sand dollars and he turned to Zayn.

“I missed five calls from Harry..” He said, Zayn and Liam turned to stare at him immediately as Zayn started the car. Louis pulled the phone from his ear, unable to keep the sheer panic out of his voice. “And he’s not picking up now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did Harry call? Where was Adam? Tune in next time, but while you wait, you can comment your thoughts! :)


	7. Chapter Seven

Luckily the town was void of all police, as Zayn drove the roads back to Niall’s. Drove is an understatement, he sped. Liam mumbled his disagreements of the driving once from the back seat, but didn’t say much else because he knew Zayn wouldn’t listen. Zayn didn’t stop at the stop signs, he slowed and moved through, thankful there was no one coming from either way. Louis was rambling in the front seat, calling Harry’s cell repeatedly trying to get him to answer. They pulled in and Zayn slid the gearshift up into park, turning the car off as he got out, leaving the door open behind him as they ran in. He heard two car doors shut, and assumed it was Liam who hung back to close the doors quickly. They all entered the house and stood in the empty living room.

“Hello??” Louis shouted, his voice echoing throughout the house. Zayn walked through the house quickly, jumping when the light turned on in the hallway and a door opened. Niall’s mom stepped out, obviously just having fallen asleep.

“What’s going on?” She asked. Zayn opened his mouth to ask her if she knew where Niall and Harry were, when Liam walked up the steps and stopped by Zayn in the hallway.

“We are all downstairs waiting.. we found them” Liam spoke, and Zayn felt the weight fall off his chest.

“Found them? Who was missing?” Niall’s mom asked, eyebrows furrowing in concern. Liam smiled and quickly covered for them.

“We were playing hide and seek. A little juvenile but…you're only young once” He said, shooting her a typical Liam smile, it was calming. Zayn turned and slid down the steps quickly. He got to the living room and heard Harry’s voice from the basement. He took the steps by two and got to the bottom, looking around quickly. The basement was set up as a lounging area. It had a couch, a TV and a game console. Niall was sitting on the couch quietly, while Harry in the center of the room across from Louis, who was standing in front of him looking a mixture of angry and relieved. Harry was shouting but he didn’t raise his voice loud enough for Niall’s mom to hear

“Of course I didn’t answer, payback for you not answering me. Thank god it was nothing absolutely life threatening because we would be dead, Louis” Harry finished, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Zayn shifted his attention to Niall, who was still sitting on the couch, his eyes shifting between Harry and Louis, only looking away as Zayn started walking closer. Zayn sat down by Niall and put his arm around the back of the couch, his hand resting gently on Niall’s shoulder. Niall just laid his head down on Zayn's shoulder. Zayn could feel the tension rolling off of him. He turned his head slightly and glanced down at Niall.

“What happened?” He asked. Niall shrugged gently, keeping his eyes trained on his own lap, as he spoke, his voice soft.

“Adam was here…showed up a few minutes after you left. He gave me my phone and bag…said he was sorry and just. Left….” Niall finished. Zayn felt his whole body tense up again.

“He was here??” He half shrieked as he jumped up, looking around. Harry rolled his eyes from his spot by Louis, his head resting on Louis’ shoulder, Louis obviously having forgiven him already.

“Yes.. He was here, for a total of like ten minutes. I was trying to call you guys nonchalantly, while staying in the room but you didn’t answer. He showed up right after you guys left.” Harry finished talking and Zayn just turned walking to the steps and jogging up, beyond furious. Adam had waited for them to head for his house before approaching Niall. Zayn ran into Liam in the living room and tried to shove past him, but Liam saw the look on his face and gripped his arm tight.

“Stop…What happened?” Liam asked, holding onto Zayn’s arm. Zayn narrowed his eyes and jerked his arm from Liam's grasp.

“He was here… He was fucking here. He waited for us to leave and then he fucking came in! He could have hurt Niall, AGAIN. And I wouldn’t have been here to help him, AGAIN!” He shouted, turning away. Liam grabbed his arm yet again and Zayn whipped around, looking as though he could kill. Liam just raised his eyebrow.

“So you're just going to go over there, beat him to death, and then spend your time in jail, instead of staying here with Niall, like he wants you to?” He asked, fairly calm considering Zayn had been shouting at him just moments before. Zayn paused all of his movement for a few moments and thought. He didn’t really know what his intentions were. Go see Adam, yeah. But he didn’t really know why, mainly because he wanted to let out his frustrations, about failing to protecting Niall again, out on someone. Zayn let out a shaky sigh and Liam let go of his arm. Zayn glanced around the silent living room.

“Niall wants me here?” He asked slowly. Liam smiled.

“You're so stupid sometimes…god. Yes. He does. Even when he was still with Adam he liked being around you, I mean…He gave the hospital your name and number to call at 2 in the morning, not mine or Louis’, who have known him longer.. ” He spoke, and Zayn slowly smiled, nodding his head. Liam lowered his voice. “And maybe if you would have told him it was you that wrote in the yearbook; you two could already be together…” Liam stopped mid-sentence as Zayn's eyes widened. He didn’t know Liam knew it was him. As far as he knew only Harry and Clara did. Harry no-doubt told Louis who apparently told Liam. “Yes.. I know about that. It’s cute.” Liam pinched Zayn’s cheek playfully, causing a scowl to appear on Zayn's lips at being called cute. “Now. Don’t be a sissy. I don’t know when you want to tell him, or if you do at all. But sooner rather than later would be great” Liam finished, turning and heading down the steps.

Zayn stood there for a few moments, fighting a battle inside of him, part of him still trying to drag him out to confront Adam, the other part reminding him Niall was here, now, and waiting for him downstairs. That was the part that was winning. He headed down the stairs slowly. Niall was right where Zayn left him, sitting on the couch. But this time his face was half scrunched up as he stared at the wall. Liam sat in the chair, and Harry and Louis stood in front of the shelf arguing over a movie. Zayn made his way over to Niall and sat down, frowning when Niall didn’t lean in close and lay his head down like last time. Zayn put his arm around the back of the couch, fingertips brushing Niall’s shoulder again. Niall just sat there. Liam stood to grab some blankets and pillows for all of them, out of the hall closet upstairs, and Zayn glanced at him in time to see Liam mouth what looked like ‘apologize’. Zayn nodded slowly and laid his head on Niall’s, trying to soften him up a little.

“I'm sorry, Ni… I was a prick just then..” He rambled, Niall shrugged like it was no big deal and continued to sit there motionless. Zayn frowned again and moved slightly, raising his hand to cup Niall’s face and turn it to face his.

“It’s a big deal. Don’t act like its fine. I'm sorry. I over reacted…I just don’t like the idea of him, or anyone really, hurting you again and me not being there to help you… ” he mumbled slowly. Niall let a smile slide easily across his face, pulling his chin out of Zayn's hand and letting his head rest back on Zayn’s shoulder. They sat like that for the next few hours. Louis and Harry cuddled in the chair and Liam laid back on the floor, he was the first to fall asleep, followed by Harry and Louis. It hit 11 and Zayn got up from the couch, changing the movie to a new one. Looking down at his clothes he realized he was still in his jeans, it was a little uncomfortable and he hated sleeping in pants.

“Do you have any kind of shorts or sweatpants I can borrow? Just for the night?” He asked. Niall nodded his head and leaned his body forward, as if to get up and then sighed remembering that he couldn’t. He leaned back and nodded.

“Upstairs. Last room on the right….the second drawer down or there’s a basket of probably clean laundry in the room somewhere. Either one” He said, smiling at the end of his statement. Zayn let out a laugh and started up the stairs. Once he got into Niall’s room he stopped and took his time analyzing it. It looked like what he imagined Niall’s room to be. It was messy but still somehow organized. He had a few shirts on the floor, but a basket full of laundry by the end of the bed. There was a few water bottles half full by the bed. But other than that it was pretty orderly. The top of the dresser was fairly neat, things weren’t stacked on it. The walls were painted a light blue, a few posters of athletes taped up, some looking like they had been there for years. Zayn smiled and made his way across the room to the dresser. He pulled out a pair of sweatpants and quickly stripped his pants off, sliding the sweats on. He bent down grabbing his jeans off the floor and seen the familiar blue and yellow yearbook sticking out from under the bed. Zayn made his way over to the bed and pulled it out. There was a plain piece of notebook paper acting as a bookmark in the back of it. Zayn glanced behind him to the door, like he was expecting Niall to appear. He opened it to the paper in the back and glanced across the page. It was the autograph section. More specifically the page that he had written on. Zayn felt the smile hit his face so hard his cheeks would have cracked had they been made of glass. The page was bookmarked. So Niall liked it. He closed it and put it back as a thought hit him, maybe Niall only liked it because he thought Adam did it. As Zayn headed back down the steps he made a silent oath to tell Niall it was him that wrote in the yearbook. Soon…but not yet.

Zayn was scared. He wasn’t afraid to admit it. He was afraid of what would happen if he actually told Niall. He could reject him, call him a liar, or any other number of things. It was all a bit frightening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the ridiculously long wait. Been going through some stuff and had (have?) a little bit of writers block. I have this one posted now and half of the next one written so..soon:)
> 
> I love the comments you guys post. Literally you guys dont know but when the email comes through on my phone that someone commented, even if its simple. It MAKES my whole day:)


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, a HUGE thank you is owed to my Beta. I feel like she takes my ridiculous ramblings considered as a chapter and turns them into something thats actually good to read!!

Liam was the first one to wake up the next morning; he stayed on the floor watching the movie as it replayed. It was about 7 in the morning, and it was a Sunday, so chances were the others wouldn’t be up for quite a while. Well, at least Louis and Niall wouldn’t. They could sleep all day. Liam slept more like Harry and Zayn. It didn’t really matter what time he went to bed, he would be up around 6:30 or 7 each morning. After re-watching half of the movie, Liam sat up from the floor with the blanket he had and sat in the chair, glancing around he nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw that Zayn's eyes were open and that he was awake, in his place on the couch. Zayn was half sitting up, one leg on the couch and the other off and hanging on the floor, Niall laying crooked in between Zayn's legs, head on his stomach, passed out. He was a heavy sleeper. But despite how uncomfortable Zayn looked, Liam was pretty sure he didn’t mind.

“You can move him you know…He’s not a light sleeper. He won’t wake up” Liam mumbled. Zayn looked away from the TV and down to Niall, his left arm over the shoulder of the sleeping boy and resting on his stomach. His eyes slowly met Liam's.

“Nah… I think I'm ok right here…” He lowly muttered, causing Liam to smile and shake his head. It was quiet for a few more moments until Liam spoke.

“I think it goes without saying…but..Don’t hurt him,” He started, then paused, waiting for Zayn to look at him. He did almost instantly, opening his mouth to speak. Liam cut him off to finish speaking. “And I don’t just mean physically. He’s had enough. It’s safe to say I’ve come to like you in our group…so it’ll be a shame if I have to beat you up. Or let Louis pummel you.” He finished, a small smile on his face. Zayn nodded, staying quiet and shifting his eyes back down to the bandaged and banged up boy asleep in his lap. He would never understand how even in this state, Niall still managed to look perfect.

~~ 

The next few months passed by quickly, and without Adam. He had pretty much fallen off the grid after that night when he stopped by to see Niall and Harry. At the time there was only three days left of school that year, and those days were filled with final exams needed to graduate. Zayn had seen a glimpse of Adam in the hall, but when Niall turned back to double take, he was gone. Zayn didn’t mind it really. Zayn was a little upset that he hadn’t gotten the chance to have a little bit of alone time with Adam, but he figured as long as Adam was gone for good he would get over not being able to rough him up.

They all graduated, as expected. The ceremony itself was long, and it was ridiculously hot inside the auditorium, but in the end it was worth it. The weeks after graduation were calm yet wildly emotional for all of them. Niall had gotten into a college closer to home (it was only about a half hour away). At first Louis was going to go to the same college that he and Niall had originally planned on going to, until Niall’s injury happened and they just dropped him like nothing. In the end, Louis decided it wasn’t the best one to go to. He wouldn’t mind being closer to home, not to mention Harry would be attending the same one as Niall, so he saw that as a two for one deal. The college accepted him almost instantly, leaving Niall completely touched that Louis would give up going to the top school in the state. Liam had decided on a college about an hour away, but he promised that he would be home all the time. Zayn was going to the local one with the rest of the group. He had planned on it, even before any of the stuff from the past few months had happened. He wanted to stay close to home. It was just an added bonus that Niall was going to be going there too.

Niall got the cast removed from his leg a few weeks after the graduation, but he still had a brace on, that he had to wear if he was planning on walking anywhere. He was doing the physical therapy that the college was paying for, and as far as Zayn could tell things were going pretty well. Zayn talked to Niall at least once a day, they generally saw each other too. Now that they were all done with highschool and still had time before the college classes to started, things were a little bit more boring. Niall spent most his time with Zayn at work. Niall didn’t work, he didn’t get the cast off of his arm for another few weeks, and people really didn’t want to hire someone with only one usable arm. But Zayn worked five days a week at the local coffee shop. It was mostly behind the counter stuff, restocking things, handling the register, and occasionally doing one on one with the customers. Zayn enjoyed it. Niall never had coffee while he was there, he just drank some water, sat at the table near the counter, and talked to Zayn every once in awhile. Zayn's boss hadn’t seemed to mind because Niall never hindered Zayn from doing work, and he always bought at least one thing, so he wasn’t just sitting there for free. The days Niall didn’t show up to the coffee shop, were the days that took the longest, Zayn thought. They seemed to drag on, and he would find himself looking up in anticipation each time the door opened and someone else would come in.

You could say things were going fairly well in Zayn's life. He had made a handful of new friends in the past few months, gotten closer to the guy who had gained and kept his attention for years, and was getting to room with said guy in a couple of weeks at school. That was probably the best news of all. They had dorms at the school. Living on campus was easier than driving back and forth every day, for classes. Louis and Harry were sharing a dorm, of course. Zayn almost died of a heart attack when Niall calmly suggested that he and Zayn should share one too, “better to be stuck with someone you like, yeah?” Niall had said. Zayn laughed and agreed, all the while being pretty sure that Niall had no idea just how much he was ‘liked’. Louis and Harry take every chance that they can to tease Zayn about Niall. Louis often whines and asks how come Zayn doesn’t give him the same ‘heart eyes’ that he gives Niall. Whereas Harry keeps asking how Zayn plans to live with Niall, if he can’t even go fifteen minutes without stuttering himself into a half awkward silence when Niall is around, although Niall never seems to notice, or get bothered when Zayn suddenly goes quiet. He doesn’t seem to notice Zayn watching his every move. Luckily this was true when they all sat around the Malik's table on a Friday night. 

They had finished dinner about a half hour ago, now they were just sitting around and talking. Zayn didn't talk much. He was slightly grumpy because he didn't get to sit by Niall. When he had reached the kitchen, Niall had already sat down to the left of Louis, with Harry and Liam on Louis' right. Zayn walked into the room just as Safaa sat down on Niall’s other side, and Waliyha sat on the end, leaving Zayn to sit opposite Niall, across the table. He didn’t protest out loud, for fear of causing a huge scene in front of his parents and sisters. So he just sat there, eating, and trying not to make it so painfully obvious that he was staring at Niall. Apparently it didn’t work because when they were all done and were just sitting around, Doniya, who was sitting next to him, slid him a glass of water. Zayn raised his eyebrow and tipped his head to the side, looking at her in confusion. She shrugged.

“You looked thirsty” She said, and across the table Louis broke out into a fit of laughter, causing all eyes to focus on him. Zayn felt a faint rise of pink to his cheeks and quickly looked up at Niall, who seemed completely oblivious. Chances are the only reason Louis had heard her was because he was paying attention to Zayn, while Niall was busy talking with Safaa. Doniya laughed and leaned across the table to high five Louis. Zayn's parents just looked at him and he shook his head, before standing and starting to clear the table. He spent the next half hour in the kitchen with his mom, staying quiet but ready to make small talk if she spoke. She didn’t though, she could tell something was bothering him so she waited for him to say something. He finished with the dishes and turned, leaning against the counter, wiping his hands on the towel. He walked into the living room. Zayn could see Niall sitting, holding Safaa, who was sitting in his lap facing him and talking away a storm. Niall just sat, watching her face and nodding as she spoke. Acting like whatever she had to say, was the most interesting thing he had ever heard. It made Zayn feel like his heart was about to burst. His sisters were everything to him.

“You know, I'm not as naïve as you and your sisters like to believe… I see the way you look at him.” His mother spoke, suddenly beside Zayn leaning on the counter, her voice low. Zayn glanced away from Niall and met his mother's gaze. She knew he was gay, they all did. It was something he struggled with at first but then decided, with some pressure from Harry, that he should at least come out to his family before they found out some other way. They all reacted differently than Zayn had expected. They were all supportive. It was nice. Zayn dated a lot as he went into freshman year, but then he saw Niall and that was it. When they were anywhere in public, his mom never failed to point out a guy close to his age and go ‘He’s pretty fit, isn’t he?’ It would embarrass him and he would just groan and shake his head, thinking about how, yes, he was cute, but he was no Niall.

“So…Can I ask about him?” She asked. Zayn smiled slowly, shifting his eyes back to Niall, he watched intently as Niall’s face shifted; His eyes widened, the top of his nose slowly crinkled as his eyebrows dipped down in the middle, and his cheeks rose. His mouth opened and he let out a hefty laughter, as his eyes closed. Safaa sat smiling on his lap, proud of herself for making him laugh, she was showing what Zayn felt each time a smile came to Niall’s face and he was the one who caused it. Zayn just stood there, watching. Watching how Niall would talk to Safaa, and then Waliyha, who sat on the other side of him. He gave them both his full attention when they spoke, he did that to everyone. It’s what made people so calm around him most of the time. Zayn had almost forgotten his mother had even spoken to him, until she cleared her throat. He peeled his eyes away from Niall’s face and looked at his mom, not even trying to pull the ridiculously large grin off of his face.

“He’s…” Zayn started, and then paused, lost for words. He glanced back into the living room watching as Niall nodded his head, letting Safaa check out his brace. “He’s perfect to me…He just doesn’t know it…yet”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No really huge cliff hanger this time!! But the next update will be up soon, hopefully within a few days. Im jamming in study time for finals and such so im sorry if the time between updates is terrible. But I love that for some of you guys, my story is 'that story'. The one that you squeal when you see its been updated. I love hearing that. It makes me want to sit down and write the entire thing and post it all at once because you guys are completely awesome!! Anyways...until next time :)


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!!:)

Apparently telling his mom about Niall was the wrong thing to do. Because for the next few weeks leading up to them leaving for college, whenever she would see Niall, she would make little comments that she thought was sly and then do this obnoxious wink in Zayn's direction. It had Niall looking at Zayn and raising an eyebrow, causing Zayn to just shrug back in response, and shooting his mom a look, when Niall looked away. She was one of THOSE moms.

Niall and Louis had left for the school earlier that Sunday morning, while Harry and Zayn were planning on joining them later. Zayn had to finish packing, and he was slacking on it. By the time he had finally finished throwing his things into the last bag (with some pushing and rushing from Harry, who kept reminding Zayn that Niall and Louis were at the school, seeing all the college guys and getting situated, without them). It was almost 5 in the evening. Zayn threw his final bag into the trunk and turned hugging his family again. His mom cried and Zayn just smiled.

“I'll be home on some weekends, I’ll call..all of that” He said. She sniffled and nodded her head holding her arms out for another hug, which Zayn gladly stepped into. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little bit worried about not living with his mom anymore, and his sisters. He pulled away and hugged them quickly before sliding into the drivers seat and waving, Harry waved from the passenger seat and they pulled away. Zayn drove and they got there a little earlier than expected, he may have been going a few miles over the speed limit, eager to get there. Louis had texted Harry with the building name and the room number, they were only a few doors down from Niall and Zayn's room. After finally finding the right building and parking, Zayn grabbed his bags, threw the two around his shoulders and stood there, laughing as Harry pulled his bags out. Zayn was a slow packer, even though he only had three bags. Harry was a quick packer, and he had like 6 bags.

“Just make two trips” Zayn suggested, keeping the smile on his face and glancing over as he heard Louis’ booming voice shoot from the door of the dorm, to where they were parked, which wasn’t a great distance really.

“Harry!! Did you remember to pack your bed, too?” He asked, referring to Harrys amount of bags. Harry just rolled his eyes and grinned, taking a few steps toward Louis and holding his arms out. Louis quickly slid the last few steps and hugged Harry, Zayn looked away, watching as Niall stepped out of the dorms. Zayn hadn’t seen him since yesterday, and he immediately felt like he could breathe a little easier now that they were facing each other. Niall smiled, looking amazing even in the simple pair of shorts and plain t-shirt he was wearing. He was leaning against the open door. Zayn walked up to Niall, who stuck his hand out and gave Zayn two keys.

“One’s for the actual room, and the other one you won’t be able to get into the dorms without. They lock up, keeps the students safer and what not” He said. Zayn nodded his head, keeping the happy look on his face, until he started walking with Niall to the lift that would get them up to their floor, when it dawned on him. He stopped and looked down at Niall’s bare leg, noticing the very small limp that Niall was sporting.

“Where’s your brace? You're not supposed to be walking without it, you could hurt yourself again!” Zayn spoke quickly, his voice raising a few octaves in concern. Niall shrugged.

“Nah… ‘S fine. I'm allowed to go without it sometimes.. Just not all of the time. And I only walked from the couch in the room to here. Relax, mom” He said, nudging Zayn with his good arm as they stepped into the lift and headed up. Zayn let himself relax and shot a smile back.  
The room was interesting. It was set up like a small apartment. As soon as you walked in the door, there was one of those computer chairs, that rolled in front of a desk. Louis and Niall already had Niall’s TV set up, with the game console hooked into it, sitting on the desk, and a few movies stacked along the edges, Zayn recognized them as Niall’s favorite. There was a small fridge and a microwave in there, they had passed a few sets of bathrooms on the way down the hall. Niall made his way into the room and plopped himself onto the computer chair and spinning in it a few times. Stopping and lifting his legs to place them on the bed to the right of the room, that had his blanket and pillow thrown onto them. Zayn felt a lump in his throat. He knew dorm rooms were small, but he hadn’t expected to be sleeping right across from Niall, only a few feet away. He hadn’t expected to be able to roll over in his bed and see Niall in his own bed. To be honest he wasn’t sure what he expected, but not this. He made his way over and set his bags on his bed, yawning.

“You hungry? I’ll order a pizza or something” Zayn spoke from where he was on the bed. He jumped a little when Niall’s head suddenly whipped around, away from the phone he had been staring at. 

“The fact that you have to ask that makes me question whether or not we should really be roomies” Niall said, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Zayn just laughed and pulled his phone out of his pocket and searching for nearby pizza places. “Should we invite Louis and Harry over for food on the first night here?” Niall asked as wheeled the chair closer to the end of his bed, leaning and grabbing some kind of a granola bar out of the top of it.

“You're having a snack while I’m ordering dinner?” Zayn asked, Niall just shrugged and smiled taking a bite, blissfully ignorant of the fond stare coming from Zayn.

~~

The first week was probably the worst of college life. They were in different classes at different times, so they didn’t see each other much. But by the end of the second week they had fallen into a routine. Zayn had even gotten another job, this time it was a part time job at a coffee shop on the campus. He worked mornings, because his first class wasn’t until noon. Then he had classes until six. Niall’s schedule was almost the complete opposite. His first class was at 8, at 10 he had a break between classes and he normally made his way over to the coffee shop and talked with Zayn for a little, where Louis would meet them for about a half hour before Zayn clocked out and they walked to their next class together. Zayn didn’t see Niall until he got back to the room from his practice and physical therapy at around 6:30-7.  
Zayn woke up that Friday morning earlier than normal. He needed to shower and get to work early to open the shop. He walked out and took a quick shower before changing quickly, glancing at Niall in his own bed. Niall was on his stomach, arms up holding the pillow under his head (He had gotten the cast off of his arm last week), one leg hanging halfway off the bed, the blanket was wrapped up his bare legs and tangled across hisback. He slept in boxers and a t-shirt, which wasn’t really fair to Zayn, so he tried not to look. He pulled the tan polo over his tank top and slid his belt into place and walked out, starting his day. He got done with his classes on time and came back to find Niall was still out, like normal. Harry walked into the room with him and plopped onto Zayn’s bed, rolling on it until his head was off and looking underneath it.

“Geez..nothing interesting under the bed?” He lifted up the mattress and slid his hand between it. Sighing as he came back empty handed. “No dirty magazines or illegal substances? What kind of college goer are you?” Harry asked, dropping himself back until he was laying on Zayn's bed, holding his phone. Zayn shrugged and sat in the computer chair glancing around.

“The typical kind? Not all of us are bad seeds. What’s between your mattress? Anything I should know about?” Zayn asked, immediately regretting it as a smirk came to Harry’s face and he opened his mouth to speak. Zayn knew what was going to come out, he had been friends with Harry long enough to know that ‘I'm-Going-To-Say-Something-Perverted’ face.

“Actually nothing. I keep all the lube an-” Harry started and Zayn loudly groaned and covered his ears.

“Jesus Christ, Harry. I didn’t actually need to know…” He complained. Harry just laughed and lifted his shoulders in a shrug, standing up.

“You asked, now come on… I want to go explore the campus some more..” He said.

“You mean you want to go to the practice and see Louis, like you’ve been begging me to come with you each time for the past week straight?” Zayn raised his eyebrow as he spoke. And Harry sighed.

“Yes..but Nialls there too, and they are letting him play a little bit, not in the actual games because he’s not done with his physical therapy and all that stuff but….I'm sure they still let him play enough to get a little dirty, and a little sweaty, and a littl-” Harry’s words were cut off with Zayn's hand.

“Stop right there…Its not fair using Niall against me…But fine..Lets go” Zayn mumbled, looking at the time on his phone. It was possible practice was already over, or ending, so they may not even make it there in time. Zayn relayed this information to Harry who just shrugged and said “we will find something else to do then”. Zayn grabbed a scrap of notebook paper and scribbled a quick note in case Niall got back before them, this way he knew where they were. He walked out of the room with Harry, making sure he had his keys.

It turned out the practice was done, so they ended up walking around the campus, meandering through the bookstore and the computer lab, just talking and keeping themselves busy. The last ten minutes though, Harry got shorter with his replies, and kept himself glued to his phone texting, a frown on his face.

“What’s wrong?” Zayn asked, pulling a cigarette out of the pack and lighting it. It was a bad habit to have, he knew that. But it was relaxing. Harry glanced up.

“How is it that you and Niall have been friends for…what? Almost a full year? And he’s just now seeing your handwriting?” Harry asked. Zayn raised an eyebrow and shrugged at the strange questions.

“I don’t know? Why?” He asked, slightly getting concerned as to where Harry was going with this. Harry just looked at Zayn in response, waiting for it to click in his head. When it didn’t, Harry sighed and spoke.

“Apparently Louis and him got back to the rooms and he saw your note. He recognized your handwriting as the handwriting that he’s so seriously obsessed with in the yearbook. And I guess he grilled Lou until he fessed up and confirmed it was you..” Harry said. Zayn let his mouth gape open enough that the cigarette fell to the ground. He hadn’t even thought of it. He just wrote the note and walked out. He didn’t think Niall would pay much attention, let alone compare the handwritings. Zayn was pretty sure his heart dropped out of his chest. Harry stepped forward putting out the cigarette with the toe of his shoes.  
“No reason to be standing there with your mouth hitting the sidewalk, the cats out of the bag now, lover boy. Time to go back and face the music. ” Harry finished, pocketing his phone and putting a hand on Zayn's back leading him to the dorms. All the while Zayn mentally counted the ways that he was royally screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im going to try to post the next one soon but I have a full schedule this week. Ill work to get it up soon. In the meantime, what do you guys think??


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally its here! I made it longer and fluffy, hope it was worth the wait!

“Do I really have to go inside?” Zayn asked, standing just outside of the dorms. It was dark, near 9:30 at night. There weren’t many people around besides Zayn and Harry.

“Well… you could always hop on the next plane to Tijuana and live out the rest your days there” Harry said, crossing his arms and standing there. Zayn sighed and pulled his keys out, unlocking the door to the dorm building and stepping in with Harry. 

“Point taken…” He muttered as he made his way up the steps, he didn’t think taking the lift would be the best option. The twist in his gut was making him feel nauseated enough. He took the steps slowly though, ignoring Harry’s sighs as he followed him. He stopped as he got to the door to their floor. He turned to face Harry.

“What if he hates me? Or kicks me out? Or just never talks to me again?” Zayn asked, feeling his stomach tighten more with each thought and possibility that crossed his mind. Harry just laughed.

“What if this building collapsed right now? What if you dropped dead right now of some heart attack? You seriously cannot live your life with ‘What if’s’. You just can’t. Niall is level headed, and he won’t freak out or hate you. I’ve known you since we were in diapers, Zayn. You're so lovable, he can’t resist” Harry leaned forward pinching Zayn’s cheeks. Zayn crinkled his nose and took a step back. Harry smiled.

“Just..be honest with him, man. Don’t try to bullshit him…Have the balls to be blunt. Louis is convinced he likes you, I don’t pay as much attention but its obvious he cares for you already. I remember a few years ago, you telling me almost the exact same thing. That I should stop just staring at Louis and go say something. I did, I felt like puking the whole time, but I did it. And see where it got me?…Go. Own up to pining after him like a lovesick school girl.” Harry opened the door from the stairwell, pulled Zayn out of the stairwell and down the hallway, stopping at his own door. Zayn's eyes widened and he looked at Harry.

“You aren’t coming with me?” He asked, feeling his gut start twisting again. Harry grinned back in response.

“No. Definitely not. I'm going to go cuddle the shit out of my boyfriend, while you go take care of your business. Good luck” Harry smiled at him and stepped into his room, quickly shutting the door. Zayn walked the few steps to the room he and Niall shared, and then stood in the hallway for a couple minutes, running his hand through his hair almost repeatedly, to the point where it looked like he had taken a stroll through a wind tunnel. He took a deep breath and reached for the door handle, not at all surprised when the handle gave and twisted. Niall never locked the door, ever. Zayn was the one that constantly had to lock it, even if they were both there. He stepped in and saw Niall sitting with his back to him, in the computer chair between the beds. He was playing some football game, Zayn didn’t fully understand it and therefore never played it with Niall, but Niall liked it and Zayn liked watching him play. Niall always got into the game like he was watching it on TV or like he was the actual player.

Zayn stood there for a few moments before he toed his shoes off and walked across the room slowly, pulling off his coat and dropping it onto his bed. He stood there, still partially behind Niall, and noticed his note and the yearbook on Niall’s bed. He hadn’t even realized Niall brought the yearbook with him. Zayn cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak.

“Ni…” He spoke. Not sure what else to say really. Niall paused the game and sat facing the TV, watching the players on the screen and holding the remote. The room was eerily silent. Zayn swallowed, his throat suddenly extremely dry. He took a deep breath and pulled any courage he had to the surface.

“I'm not sure if you want to see me, or hear from me. And the way that you aren’t looking at me right now tells me you don’t. I didn’t mean for it to go on this long. Honestly I didn’t mean for anything to really go past a scribble in a yearbook and then never seeing you again. I'm still not sure how I got the courage to even touch your yearbook, let alone write in it. I figured you wouldn’t even read them, or it wouldn’t matter and we would graduate and never see each other again. I didn’t plan on you ever knowing my name, let alone us ever getting close. I was going to tell you, for a while, but you were with Adam, and then all that shit happened with him and I was going to tell you again but then I figured you needed time to heal and maybe you just liked me as a friend and…I'm sorry. I'm not sure if that’s what you want to hear or not, but I am” Zayn finished, chewing on the inside of his lip, almost drawing blood. The room was quiet for a few moments before Niall’s voice filled the room, causing Zayn to jump at the unexpected sound.

“Sorry for what,” he spoke, his tone was quiet. Not what Zayn was used to hearing. Not the loud voice paired with a boisterous laugh. Zayn stayed quiet, not sure of what to say back, not sure of what the other wanted to hear. Niall leaned forward setting the remote by the TV and swiveled around in the chair, looking up at Zayn, who stood a few feet away staring back at him. “Sorry for what” Niall repeated. “Sorry for liking me? Or sorry for not telling me?” He asked. Zayn just looked at him, noticing everything about him like it was the first time seeing him again. Everything from his bright cerulean eyes, to the lips that carried a smile that could light up a room, to his hair, which was still a little damp looking, telling Zayn he showered after his practice. He sat there in sweatpants and a plain black t-shirt, which Zayn suspected came from his dresser but he didn’t complain.

“I'm not sorry for liking you, Niall..I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Maybe if I had, this stuff with Adam wouldn’t have happened. Or maybe it would have..I didn’t tell you back in high school because… I was afraid of getting rejected, I guess. And then when I had the chance I was afraid of losing your friendship. And the-” Zayn was cut off from his rambling by Niall’s voice again.

“Do you still like me?” He asked, standing up by Zayn, a few inches shorter, but looking up. Half of Zayn wanted to lie, tell him no, play it off as a joke and then order a pizza and mess around like a typical night. But he knew that wouldn’t even work if he tried, and if he did say no and play It off as a joke he knew it would hurt Niall’s feelings. And he really didn’t need to be the cause of Nialls pain. It would probably kill him inside. So instead of lying, he nodded his head, unable to speak. “Why?” Niall asked, and Zayn couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up his throat. He wasn’t sure if it was just because he was nervous, or if it was because Niall was really asking him why.

“Why not? Oh my god.. Niall, you're perfect. I’ve always thought so. I didn’t pay much attention to you, or really anyone until freshman year of high school, but when I first saw you, I really saw you. You have an amazing personality, you can talk to everyone and make friends with literally anyone, its amazing, and also a downfall of yours. You trust way too easily. Your sense of humor is…crazy to say the least. The things normal people don’t even smile at, will have you laughing for hours. You're beautiful, Niall. Not just looks-wise, even though you are pretty gorgeous, but inside too..and.. I'm rambling again and I’m not sure where this is going but you deserve so much better than the shit you have been through and…you deserve better than anything I could give you so this is pointless and I'm sorry and-” Zayn was cut off by a pair of lips being pressed to his. He stood stone still for a moment, not sure how to react, or if this was even actually happening. He felt a pair of arms slip up around his neck and Niall’s chest press against to his. Zayn just smiled and dropped his arms until the tips of his fingers were resting on Niall’s hips.

“Shut up..” Niall grumbled against his lips. Zayn could have died from happiness.

~~  
The next few weeks could have been compared to what Zayn assumed heaven was like. He got to wake up first, get himself showered and ready for work, like he had before, but now he always went back to the beds and bent down kissing Niall awake to say goodbye. Niall would just smile sleepily and wrap his arms up around Zayn's neck, tugging him down into the bed and cuddling himself against the Zayn’s side, his warm body wiggling until he was comfortable and untucking Zayn's uniform shirt from his pants in the process. He would spend a good ten minutes begging Zayn to stay in bed and cuddle with him, not realizing how hard it actually was for Zayn to say no and pull himself off. But eventually Zayn had to break away because he realized that he’d be late for work unless he left that very second.

Zayn would slip on his shoes, adjust his shirt and look back to the bed where Niall would open his eyes halfway and sit up, leaning back on his elbows, making an honest effort to see Zayn off. It was no different that Thursday morning. He kissed Niall and grabbed his keys, before walking out. He got to work and realized that he had forgotten his phone, but brushed it off with a shrug, knowing he didn’t really use it much during work. He didn’t have service in there, not to mention he was actually working so he didn’t have the time. He didn’t use it much unless it was between classes or after them, where he would rack up his minutes making sure Niall was ok.

He got there and opened the place like normal, a few hours passed and Louis walked in with Harry, Niall meandering a few steps behind them, the normal smile void from his face. Zayn smiled at them from behind the counter, trying to catch Niall’s eyes, the smile slipped from his face when he finally connected with the gorgeous blue eyes and sensed something was wrong. Niall walked up to the counter and tapped his fingers on the edge.

“You need to call your mom” He said, and Zayn frowned, patting the front of his apron to grab his phone, groaning upon remembering he didn’t have it.

“Yeah.. It fell out of your pocket in bed this morning.. I found it when it started going off like crazy…” Niall said, pulling out the phone and sliding it to Zayn. Louis and Harry stood a little to the right and Zayn glanced at the clock, knowing he couldn’t go on break for another twenty minutes. He dropped the phone into his apron.

“Did you talk to her? Is she ok? What was wrong?” He asked. Niall let a faint smile lift the curve of his lips.

“Its ok..Nothing huge. She said Safaa had broken her arm and she just wanted to know when you would be home for a visit since it had been a little bit and..yeah. Nobody is dead. I'm sorry if I scared you..” Niall leaned across the small counter pressing a kiss to Zayn's jaw. Zayn relaxed a little bit, grateful nothing was seriously wrong and trying to damper the strong feeling of concern for his little sister. He turned his head as Niall was pulling away and pressed a kiss to his lips, feeling almost instantly better as Niall kissed back. Louis cleared his throat.

“I'm sorry to interrupt your suck fest but if you could please take my order…I'm a very busy person and have things to do” Louis spoke, the smile clear in his voice. Niall smiled and pulled back quickly, glancing around as a faint pink hit his cheeks. Zayn just smiled and looked from Niall to Louis.

“You don’t even drink coffee, and you are most likely here until your next class.” Zayn spoke. Louis shrugged and smiled, leaning against Harry, almost squealing with delight each time Niall and Zayn would share a look.

~~

Calling his mom back didn’t help Zayn at all. He finally got ahold of her later that night when he was sitting on the bed, his work spread around him. Niall was still at practice. She insisted it was nothing major but figured he would want to know about Safaa. His mom spent the next ten minutes talking to him about his plans to come home and visit. Safaa’s voice rang clear in the background and there was some shifting before her voice came through the phone directly.

“Hey Zaynie” She said, sounding like she was her normal good mood self. Not sounding like she just broke her arm. Zayn smiled and leaned his head back against the wall.

“Hey.. How are you feeling? What happened exactly?” He asked. And she launched into a big story. Even if it was something simple, she would always ramble and turn it into one of the longest stories ever. She spent fifteen minutes talking about it. She was trying to show off and slide across the monkey bars at school, falling off and landing on her arm. Nothing major and it was a clean break, so it would heal soon. Niall walked in as Zayn was listening to her talk, a huge grin plastered across his face. Niall dropped his bag on the floor and kicked off his shoes, grabbing a towel out of the top drawer of his dresser, Zayn watching him the whole time. He was sweaty and a little dirty. He had had a real practice. They were letting him participate more and more because of how well the physical therapy was going. Niall turned and caught Zayn's eye, smiling. He wiped his face and bent quickly pressing a kiss to the ear that wasn’t housing a phone.

“Be back..” He mumbled before walking out of the room to shower. Zayn nodded and watched him go. Still listening to his sister.

“And the best part is I got a cast now. It’s like Niall’s. Except mine is purple, and much smaller. I miss Niall. I miss you too. When are you guys coming back? I want to see you bad.” She whined. Zayn smiled and paused, thinking for a second.

“I can come home this weekend. How ‘bout that? I’ll be home tomorrow night and then leave again Sunday, sound good?” He asked. She agreed and he spent another few minutes talking to her before Niall walked in, towel around his shoulders, wearing a pair of shorts, the top band of his boxers sticking out. He sat in the chair between the beds and leaned forward turning on the TV, glancing at Zayn, sending him a smile. Zayn barely heard Safaa speaking.

“When you get here can we all go out for ice cream? Please” She asked, begging. Zayn looked away from Niall and smiled.

“Its almost September and you want ice cream? Sure.. I have to go, Safaa.. I’ll talk to you later though” He said, Niall turned to face him and smiled, holding his hand out.

“No… I want to say hi” Niall said, leaning forward in the chair. Zayn nodded and handed the phone over, watching and listening as they talked. Niall talked to her like she was his best friend. Zayn picked up the books that he had around him on the bed, but still paid close attention to the other boy. Niall sat quietly in the chair, holding the phone, his lips curved up into a half smile. Zayn bent down, brushing his lips to the corner of Niall’s mouth.

“Oh?” Niall asked, obviously responding to something Safaa was saying. Zayn just smiled and sat on the bed, Niall stood up and then dropped himself onto it, leaning back against Zayn, sitting between his legs. Zayn played with his slightly damp hair, thinking.

“I can’t.. ‘M sorry, honey. I have a game tomorrow night.” He was quiet for a few moments, Zayn let a small frown etch across his lips. He had forgotten about the game. It was the first one they were going to let Niall actually play in. And then there were two more until the end of the season. Zayn was planning on being there, but he also wanted to leave after his last class to get home. Niall suddenly laughed. 

“Ok…I’ll drive down Saturday morning and then spend the rest of the time until I have to leave with you, how about that?” He asked, Zayn smiled. She convinced him, like the conniving child she is. “Ok.. It’s a deal. Do you want to talk to Zayn?....Ok. Yep.. Well I love you, too.” He said, before pulling the phone away from his ear and hitting the red button, hanging up. He dropped the phone by Zayn's leg and laid himself back fully, head on Zayn's chest.

“She suckered you…” Zayn mumbled, hand still playing with the ends of Niall’s hair, the other resting on his bare torso. Niall just laughed and nodded slowly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its a fluffy kind of chapter. Hopefully Ill have a second up today, just waiting for my beta to get it back to me! :)


	11. Chapter Eleven

Zayn walked out of the building of his final class and headed straight over to the field. He still felt bad that he was going to be missing Niall’s first game, even though Niall had insisted time and time again that it was fine and he should go. He would at least see Niall before he left. He got to the field and stood there, pulling his hood upover his head and waiting. It wasn’t five minutes before the team made their way out onto the field. Zayn found Niall immediately, he was walking between Louis and some guy, Zayn was sure his name was Kevin or Keegan, something starting with a K. Niall dropped his bag by the bench, and bent down tying his cleats a little tighter, to prevent them from coming undone and tripping him. He was nervous, Zayn could tell. But he was also anxious, ready to get back on the field. He looked up and connected his eyes with Zayn's and jogged over. He slid between the fence poles, and stood in front of the bleachers by Zayn.

“You getting ready to head out?” He asked, Zayn nodded in response, adjusting the strap on his shoulder. He felt awkward, not really wanting to leave. He hadn’t gone a day without seeing Niall in..well..nearly 5 months. And they had only been together for 3 weeks but Zayn didn’t really fancy the idea of crawling into his old bed to sleep without Niall, even if it was only for a night. While they may only have been together for a few weeks, it felt like longer. 

Neither one had said the three ‘magic’ words yet, even though both were feeling it. Zayn didn’t want to be the first to say them, even though he had felt it himself for a few years. And Niall didn’t want to be first to say it because he didn’t want to freak Zayn out. They hadn’t even had sex yet. Some serious make out sessions, and they shared a bed. But that’s as far as it went. Zayn didn’t push because he didn’t want to be like Adam, or remind Niall of Adam, or pretty much do anything to make Niall uncomfortable. Zayn shifted glancing down at the ground between Nialls feet.

“I hope you have a safe trip…’M gonna miss you…” Niall mumbled the last part, putting Zayn’s thoughts into words. Zayn whipped his head up and smiled at Niall, he let his bag drop and stepped forward, sliding his arms around Niall’s waist, letting him put his face in Zayn's neck and tuck his body into Zayn's best he could.

“I’ll miss you too..” Zayn mumbled, kissing the side of Niall’s head. “You are driving down in the morning right?” He asked, Niall slowly nodded his head. “And call me tonight, after the game. I want to hear how you did, I want to hear if you guys won, everything.” He finished, resting his head on the top of Niall’s and closing his eyes for a few moments, just holding him.

They only got a few moments before Louis’ voice filled the airaround them.

“My god man, you’ll see him tomorrow. Let’s go” He shouted, smiling, the whole team turned to look at them though. Louis laughed and turned away. Niall pulled back, faintly flushing at the attention they now had. Zayn just smiled and ran his finger down Niall’s cheek, causing the blush to turn a deeper red. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Niall’s, lingering for a moment before withdrawing.

“Go..don’t forget to call me” He said. Niall smiled at him and nodded, jogging away. Zayn whistled at him, causing Niall to turn and almost stumble, gaping at Zayn and turning red again. Zayn just laughed and picked up his bag, loving the affect he had on Niall.

~~

"I'm just saying. It’s not really my color. So we shouldn’t do it” Zayn argued, doing his best to hold onto any shred of dignity he had. His two youngest sisters sat across from him, nail polish all out in front of them.

“So you’ll do our nails but we can’t do yours?” Waliyha questioned, crossing her legs, freshly painted purple toes still drying. Zayn shook his head again. They never wanted to play cars or anything with him, so he had to bond with them by doing things such as painting their toenails and doing their hair. He occasionally let them put clips in his hair and do his nails but he wouldn’t admit it to a soul. They both popped their lower lip out and pouted, and Zayn knew he was done for. He groaned.

“That face is so not fair….” He grumbled as he took his coat off and crossed his legs, placing one of his hands in each of the laps of the girls, who just squealed and immediately grabbed for their colors, Safaa struggled a little bit; with only having one hand to use, but she managed quite well. Zayn watched them and figured he would just wipe it off before Niall showed up in the morning. 

A half hour later when his phone rang, Zayn was laying on his stomach, face in a pillow and arms very still above him. The girls were doing multiple layers and polka dots, a whole bunch of other stuff that he figured it was just best to not ask. They were happy. The familiar ringtone filled the air and Zayn's eyes widened. His phone was in his jacket pocket, which was crumpled up by him. His fingernails were wet, and his sisters would kill him if he ruined it, not to mention then he would get nail polish on his jacket. He looked at Waliyha, who was already digging through his jacket. The picture assigned to Niall’s contact, was one of Niall asleep. Zayn hadn’t intended on being weird and taking a picture of his boyfriend while he slept. But Niall looked so precious and fragile, cuddled into Zayn he couldn’t resist. Waliyha made an aww noise, and Zayn held his hand out for the phone, afraid it was going to stop ringing any moment. She shook her head.

“Your hands are still wet.” She said, hitting the button and holding it to her ear. “Hi Niall” She said, then smiled. Zayn pulled his hands to his mouth quickly blowing on them. Then holding his hand out. Waliyha ducked to the side before his hand could get to her. She stuck her tongue out at him. “No he can’t talk right now, his nails are drying” She said, and Zayn felt his face heat up quickly.

“Waliyha, give me the phone” He growled. Waliyha just shook her head, smiling and sliding across the room.

“Ok. I’ll tell him.” She said, standing up on Zayn's bed. Zayn got to his feet and lunged forward, grabbing the phone out of her hands, landing on the bed. She huffed at him and got down. He held the phone to his ear and walked out of the room, and into the bathroom.

“Hey” He said, positioning himself on the edge of the tub, inspecting his nails and almost groaning out loud. They were all different colors, with different colored whites and pinks splashed across them. He heard Niall’s laugh come from the other end of the phone.

“Thought you couldn’t talk because your nails were drying” Niall spoke. And Zayn let out a groan, closing his eyes. He could hear the smile coming through Niall’s voice as he spoke again. “ Hey..chill..I think it’s really cute” He said, and Zayn's face suddenly felt so hot, he was pretty sure he was going to spontaneously combust.

“How did the game go?” Zayn asked, changing the subject. He then sat there, listening for the next few minutes as Niall rambled on. They had won, and Niall had even scored a few points. He smiled as he listened, he could practically hear the passion for the game coming out in Niall’s voice, it was perfect.“So as a congrats Louis and Harry are dragging me out to go clubbing, bar hopping, partying, something along those lines, with them.” Niall finished speaking and Zayn tensed. He didn’t really like the idea that Niall would be going out, getting drunk, and partying without him. Niall must have felt the tension through the phone because he quickly started talking again. “Relax, baby..there’s only you..I don’t plan on getting completely fucked. And I don’t plan on seeing how many numbers I can get, just because my boyfriend’s out of town.” He spoke, his voice soft. Zayn’s smile grew so big, he was pretty sure his face was going to break into pieces. He hadn’t heard Niall call him any pet names yet, or his boyfriend. So hearing him use the term ‘baby’ and ‘my boyfriend’ in the span of a few seconds, made his heart feel 80 times too big. He closed his eyes and pictured Niall, he was probably laying on Zayn's bed, like normal, deciding what to wear. Chances are he would lay there until Louis came over, and found something for him.

“Ok..Have fun. But not too much fun..” He said, Niall laughed softly and agreed. It was quiet for a few moments, but not awkward. Zayn almost said ‘I love you’.

~~

Niall groaned and dropped himself into one of the booths near the back. He wasn’t having the best time, and he had come to the conclusion that it was because Zayn wasn’t there with him. Niall had ended up wearing his plain black jeans, and at the last minute switched his shirt out, for the grey and red one of Zayn's. It smelled like him, and it was one of Niall’s favorites. 

He had a small buzz going, but could still walk in a straight line. He only had enough to slow down his speech pattern, and slur his words a little bit. But he was fine. He sat in the booth and looked around, eyes landing on Louis and Harry, who stood in the middle of the dance floor, oblivious to the rest of the world, as they publicly groped each other. Niall had danced with them for a little while, but each time there would be someone sliding too close, or someone looking at him for a little too long, and it made him uncomfortable. Niall decided to slip out and call Zayn.  He went out the front and let the door shut behind him, pulling his phone out and leaning against the building. It was midnight. He groaned, Zayn was probably asleep already, so calling him and waking him up would have been stupid. He slid the phone back in his pocket and leaned back onto the building, closing his eyes. He faintly heard the door by him open and close. It was quiet for a few moments before an all too familiar voice slipped through his ear, and caused his throat to tighten.

"I didn’t think I would ever run into you again, especially alone.” Niall’s eyes jerked open and his head whipped to the side. Adam stood there, hands in his pockets, smiling a far too happy smile at Niall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun ddduuuuuunnn. Adams back. Any predictions, theories, or general thoughts?:) Until next time!


	12. Chapter Twelve

"You've gotten cuter, didn’t think that was possible.." Adam spoke, reaching out and trailing a finger down Niall's cheek, causing a small tremor of fear to travel down Niall's spine. Adam just smiled and stepped a little closer, forcing Niall to press himself flat against the side of the building, the brick wall prodding his bare arms. "You're here alone" Adam mumbled, dropping his lips by Niall's ear. Niall tried to think of a quick lie, hoping it would pass.

"No...'M here with the group.." he stuttered out. Adam pulled back."Still an awful liar?.. Harry and Louis  have been too caught up in each other to even notice you weren’t around. Liam doesn’t even go to this school. And your boyfriend is back home. Am I right?" He asked, a smirk sliding across his face. Niall felt like he was going to be sick. Adam had been keeping tabs on all of them. Niall swallowed hard and closed his eyes, as Adam’s fingers drifted up and danced down Niall's face; just touching him with his fingertips.

"Why are you doing this?..." Niall asked, and before Adam had a chance to answer the door by them opened again, music and a small group of people pouring out, beyond drunk and laughing loudly. Adam pulled away slightly and glanced over at them. Niall took his chance and elbowed Adam out of his way, pushing past the group and inside. He didn’t look back to see if Adam was following, just shoved through the mound of sweaty dancing bodies, searching for Harry and Louis. He couldn't find them anywhere, he quickly ducked through the rest of the people and made his way into the bathrooms. He locked the door and slid down against it, his hands were shaking, matching his eratic breathing. He let the tears fall and sat there holding his knees for a few moments. The door knob above him jiggled, someone was jerking on it. Niall knew that it was one of the two bathrooms in the club and that there was a chance it wasn’t Adam wanting in. But he still found himself crying harder and gripping his legs.

~~

Zayn had as much trouble falling asleep without Niall as he thought he would. He sat up with Doniya after the other two had gone to bed. They flipped through the channels, watching little bits of different shows until 11, when Doniya fell asleep on the couch. Zayn woke her up and she mumbled her goodnights, before drowsily making her way to her bedroom. Zayn jogged up the carpeted steps quietly and dropped himself onto his old bed. He laid there for a few minutes, contemplating whether or not he should call Niall, he voted against it, telling himself that Niall was probably having fun and busy. He tossed and turned in the bed, finally deciding on pulling out his phone and playing a game. He put in a movie too, and finally started to nod off a little after midnight. 

As soon as he was feeling relaxed enough and was near falling asleep, his phone started vibrating on the bedunder him. He let out a groan and shifted slightly, trying to ignore it and fall back into his relaxed state but it kept vibrating, a small part of himwas reminded that it could be Niall and he flung his hand out patting on the bed to find it. He grabbed it just as  it stopped vibrating, and opened an eye in time to see Niall’s name and picture disappear from the screen. He hit the contact picture calling him back. Zayn rubbed a hand over his face and listened to the ringing, talking immediately when the ringing stopped and Niall picked up.

“I'm so sorry, I was asleep and didn’t grab the phone in time. Is everything ok?” He asked, laying there with his eyes closed, hand on his face and holding the phone to his ear. He could faintly hear the dull bass of the music coming through the phone, along with silence. Zayn frowned and held the phone closer. “Niall?” He asked, it was quiet for a few more seconds and then a sniffle came through, and Zayn tensed up, sitting up and flipping the light on. “Niall, what’s wrong?” He asked.

“A..Adams…at the club..he..” Niall’s voice trailed off and he started crying again. Zayn was out of the bed with his shoes on in record time, holding the phone close as he tugged a shirt on.

"Where are you, Niall?”  Zayn asked, bending and picking up his jacket,  shrugging it on and making sure his wallet and keys were in the pocket. Niall kept sniffling, holding the phone and listening for Zayn’s voice. "Honey...you need to tell me where you are. I’m coming to get you…where are Harry and Louis?" He asked, sliding out and to the car. He started it and sat there waiting. Niall eventually got it out that he was still in the bathroom at the club and he didn’t know where Harry and Louis were. Zayn started on his way and made Niall promise to not open the door to anyone but him. It’s safe to say he sped the whole way.

He pulled into the parking lot exactly 5 minutes after the clock hit 1 am; and didn’t waste time making his way into the building, elbowing past people and looking around. He caught Harry's eye from the dance floor and let his eyes narrow at him, angry that none of them were there to protect Niall. Again. Harry’s eyes widened and his eyebrows curved together in the center as he frowned and slowed his movement, motioning towards Zayn, Louis turned, looking at him, barely catching his eyes before Zayn was shoving through people again. He got to the bathrooms and walked around the people outside, who were drunk, grumpy and waiting in line. Zayn ignored them and knocked, trying to shout over the music that it was him. It was too loud. So he removed his phone from his pocket and sent a quick text to Niall, waiting and looking around. He didn’t see Adam anywhere. A few seconds later the door unlocked and opened a crack, Zayn shoved past the people trying to get in and immediately grabbed Niall, tucking him into his chest as people slid past, muttering. Niall just cried, gripping Zayn's shirt.

"Its ok..I’m here..come on, let me get you out of here.” He murmured into Niall’s ear, turning and walking with him, arms tight around Niall. He led him through the crowd, shaking Louis off as he grabbed his arm. Zayn got him outside and stopped by the door. Niall’s teary blue eyes darted around quickly, searching the area while still digging his fingers into Zayn's arm. He must have been satisfied with what he saw, or didn’t see, and tucked himself back against Zayn, face in his neck. Harry and Louis stumbled out of the club rightbehind them, sobering up quickly with concern and a little bit of panic at not knowing what was going on. Zayn shot them both a look.

“Adam was here” He stated, watching Harry’s eyes widen and Louis’ jaw went slack. Niall’s body slowed of any shaking and he just stayed there. They all stood quietly, and Niall started mumbling against Zayn's neck, quiet enough that Harry and Louis had to strain to hear him.

“He knew about you..and me…he knew you weren’t in town…” Niall sniffled and continued, Zayn’s hand rubbing up and down Niall’s back. “He pinned me….’N said he missed me…” Niall got quiet, remembering everything that had to do with Adam. Louis was looking at Zayn, eyes narrowed, he was as angry as Zayn felt. Harry looked angry, but more sympathetic and worried about Niall. For the next few moments Zayn had a silent conversation with Louis. Adam wasn’t going to get away this time.

~~

Niall had convinced Zayn to stay in the dorm with him tonight and they could go back together when they woke up. Zayn was tired and really didn’t want to leave Niall, or make the drive back, so he agreed. Harry and Louis went to their room to sleep it off. Louis had grabbed Zayn in the hallway and let the word ‘tomorrow’ slip out of his mouth. Zayn just nodded and walked into their room behind Niall, shutting and locking the door. Niall stood in the center of the room quietly. Zayn quickly toed off his shoes and dropped his jacket on the counter, crossing the room to stand behind Niall.

“You came back for me…” Niall’s voice was soft. Zayn let the grin tugging at his lips take over as he slid his arms around Niall, who quickly leaned back into Zayn.

“Of course I did, I’ll always come back for you.” Zayn spoke, not missing the flush that spreadover Niall’s cheeks, visible even in the dimly lit room.  Niall stayed quiet. “C’mon…you are safe…let’s sleep” Zayn pressed a kiss to Niall’s cheek and stepped around him, until he was in behind him. Niall just stood there, not looking like he wanted to move at all. Zayn let a small smile ease across his face and he moved Niall until he was sitting, where he pulled off his shoes and tossed them onto the floor by the end of the bed. 

“Here..” Zayn turned away from Niall and grabbed a pair of Niall’s shorts out of the drawer, setting them by Niall, who stood, dropping his pants and tugging on the shorts. Zayn just smiled and laid in the bed, arms out. Niall crawled in by him and laid there, quietly. Zayn just held him. The room stayed quiet for some time, Zayn wasn’t able to fall asleep, even though he knew he should. He was busy switching between tensing with anger and just being happy Niall was safe. He thought Niall fell asleep, but then he spoke.

“Please don’t do anything stupid…” Niall mumbled into Zayn's chest, holding onto his shirt. Zayn just grunted lowly in response, not willing to make any promises. Niall shifted and sat up looking down at Zayn, barely visible in the dark room. “No…Promise me…please…’M not worth you going to jail over or….anything like that…” He finished, having a look glued onto his face that was similar to that of Zayn's sisters, when they wanted something. Zayn inhaled a shaky breath, trying to find a loophole, so he could promise, while still getting what he wanted. He looked at Niall and his resolve crumbled to pieces.

“I promise I won’t do anything stupid and get myself thrown in jail…” He promised, silently cursing himself. Niall seemed to believe him because he laid back down on his stomach, head on Zayn's arm. He slid his leg up to cross Zayn's and they laid silently. Zayn let different scenarios run through his head, figuring he would end up talking to Louis tomorrow and they could decide what to do together, there was no way Adam was getting off scot free. Niall hadn’t shifted in a while, his hand still on Zayn's upper chest, fingers brushing his neck, his breath was warm on Zayn's shoulder. Zayn slid his right arm over and let his thumb brush across Niall’s cheek.“I love you” Zayn spoke, his voice almost in a whisper as he closed his eyes, ready for sleep to overcome him. He almost missed the faint whisper of an ‘I love you too‘. Almost.

~~

“Why would you go and promise something like that??” Louis whispered in a rushed voice, sitting across from Zayn in the coffee shop. It was around 9 in the morning. Zayn had woken up to Louis gently knocking on the door, with Harry. Niall was still asleep and Harry stayed back with him, after kissing Louis and making him promise to come back, to which Louis replied ‘Always’. Louis looked much calmer then, as opposed to now, looking at Zayn like he had three heads.

“What does it matter? I promised nothing stupid.It’s fine. It all depends on what he considers stupid and what I do. I thought about it. It’ll be fine. I just need to find out where Adam's staying so I can get over there…” Zayn replied, looking out the window and tapping his fingers on the table. Louis scoffed.

“Clearly you're new to the relationship game. Don’t make a promise, if you can’t keep it to HIS standards, not yours. I’ve done it, I’ve broken them, and I’ve been given the ‘you're guilty’ face from Harry one too many times that I have to warn you.. Its bad, and I'm sure Niall’s got the same face. It makes you want to crawl into a hole” Louis muttered, taking a small sip of the green tea they had there, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the best. Zayn just sighed and sat there quietly, letting a smile leak to his face, as he thought back to just before he fell asleep. Louis noticed the smile and questioned, Zayn just shrugged.

"Nothing… He just…said he loved me. He was half asleep and probably didn’t mean it..Not to mention he had been drinking..” Zayn spoke, feeling his mood go down a little more with each doubt that pushed it’s way into his mind. Louis just smiled.

“Drunk words are sober thoughts, Zaynie.. ” He mumbled, leaning over and pinching Zayn's cheeks. Zayn just slapped his hand away and leaned back. “Well now that we can’t kill him, thank you very much. We have to come up with another idea. Why don’t you go home with Niall, when you come backtomorrow hopefully I’ll have something. I’ll call Liam too, fill him in…” Louis spoke. Zayn nodded and they walked out, heading back to the dorms. Louis looked over.“By the way.. I'm loving the nails” He said, Zayn looked down and groaned. He had forgotten about them. Louis just smiled and they walked on. They got about halfway back and Louis stopped. 

“I told Harry I would bring him back something..” He whined, turning around. “It’s like a five minute walk back, just go, I’ll be right there” He shouted over his shoulder. Zayn just nodded and kept walking back towards the dorms, looking around. It was quiet, like most Saturday mornings. Most kids were still sleeping off their hangovers or just sleeping in because it was the weekend.Zayn got back to the building in time to see Adam walking out of it. Looking smug as can be. Zayn's eyes widened as he realized Harry and Niall were still inside. 

He snapped, throwing his body at Adam and sending his fist flying into the middle of Adam's face, the resulting crunch telling him he’d broken Adam's nose. Zayn grabbed Adam's shoulders and dragged him down, as he lifted his knee, jabbing Adam in the stomach. Adam moaned and barely had time to register what happened before Zayn smashed his fist into his face again. Blood was gushing out of his nose and cut lip but Zayn didn’t care. He didn’t stop.

"You should have fucking known better than to show your face around here again” He yelled, before sending another fist flying to the left side of Adam's head, as soon as it did and Adam groaned. Remembering Niall, Zayn stood, despite wanting to stay and finish off Adam, he needed to make sure they were ok. He ignored the blood covering his hands and clothes as he turned to the building, only getting in a step before he heard Adam shift and stand behind him.

“Your boyfriend looks great underneath me, you know. Like that’s where he was meant to be. Remember that next time you’re-” Zayn turned and hurled himself at him again, intent on finishing what he had started.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A double update just for you guys because you're awesome!

Zayn was scared. He would be the first to admit it. He didn’t get scared often, but when you spend nearly a full day sitting in a police station, locked in a room, it gets a little scary. It had all happened so quickly. He was still on Adam, when suddenly the cops were there, pulling him off and yelling. Louis was appeared out of nowhere and the handcuffs got slapped onto Zayn's wrists behind his back, as they quickly patted him down for a weapon and ducked him into the back of their car. Half of the dorm was out now because of the sirens from the police car and the ambulance. Zayn spotted Niall as the car backed out of the place it was by the sidewalk. Niall stood by Harry, eyes wide, face slack from sleep. He had just woken up. His eyebrows furrowed together and he looked like he was going to cry. Zayn looked away and down at his knees, staying silent for the whole ride, ignoring anything the officers said to him. They got to the station and tossed him into a room, after taking the handcuffs off. Zayn sat at the table there, his head down on his arms, hating himself for breaking the promise he’d made to Niall.

~~

It only took the cop about a half hour to get in there the first time, he just informed Zayn that hecould make one phone call while he waited. Zayn sighed and looked up to meet the older and hard eyes of the cop. He had no one to call. If he called Louis, he would most likely freak out and spend the time yelling about the reality of Zayn's situation, Harry would be disappointed and probably not answer, his mom would just spend the time crying and having that upset tone. And Niall…He couldn’t even imagine calling Niall. So he just shook his head and laid his head back down on his arms. About an hour later another cop walked in with the first one, and they sat down across the table. Zayn sat up.

“Want a glass of water? Anything to drink?” The younger looking one asked, his nametag read Reuss. Zayn shook his head again and stayed quiet, as the older one slid a pad of paper and a pen across the table. His nametag read Blake. He spoke, and Zayn discovered his voice was as hard and harsh as his gaze.

“You need to make a statement. Write down what happened, sign and date it” Blake spoke. Zayn nodded and grabbed the pen, writing. The room stayed quiet and Blake got up and walked out, leaving Zayn with Reuss, who just watched him. Zayn scribbled his name at the bottom and slid the pad across, looking out the small window in the corner of the room. Reuss grabbed it and let his eyes skim it before speaking.

“What happened?” He asked, Zayn didn’t look at him. Just shrugged.

"You read it” He spoke, his voice cracked slightly from the lack of recent use. He cleared his throat and looked at his hands on the table, faintly smiling at the nail polish on his fingers, it was chipping a little around the edges. Some of it had blood on it. His face dropped back to a frown at that. Reuss sat forward. 

“You just wrote that you saw him walking out of the building and attacked him. You’re trying to tell me that you didn’t have a reason?” He asked. Zayn just lifted his shoulders in a shrug. Reuss spoke quickly. “You need to tell me, if it’s a good enough one I can help you. Right now, you're looking at a first degree assault charge, at the very least. The guy you whaled on is talking about pressing charges. So talking could lessen your time or knock it to nothing” He said. Zayn looked at him and decided he reminded Zayn of Liam. He had that trusting face, and voice. He made you feel calm, and seemed trustworthy and genuine. Zayn thought for a few moments. He really didn’t want to go to jail, or anything. He decided to talk, and started at the beginning.About fifteen minutes later (and some contemplation as to whether or not he actually wanted to inform the officer of his sexuality for fear that he wouldnt care anymore), Zayn had gone ahead and told this cop nearly his entire story, starting from high school (he may or may not have spent a few minutes of it smiling and rambling on about Niall), what Adam used to do to Niall, then to what happened at the club and finally how he was walking out of the dorms where Niall and Harry were. Reuss looked genuinely interested to hear the story and was writing things down occasionally as Zayn spoke.

“And I was going to walk away.. I got up, and started for the building but.. then he got to his feet and said ‘you're boyfriend looks great underneath me’ and…I.I just snapped…Niall never really told us what happened, besides him getting hit, He never shared if…” Zayn paused, not really sure he could say the words ‘rape’ and ‘Niall’ in the same sentence without a white hot flash of anger overtaking him, he could feel the simmering just talking about it. He swallowed thickly and met Reuss’ eyes. “He never shared what happened beyond the hits. So when he said that in a tone  like he was taunting me, and so proud of himself I just turned and..well then you guys showed up, not sure how you found out and got there that fast but…” Zayn trailed off and Reuss nodded, glancing up from the paper.

“Did your boyfriend file a report or complaint of any kind? Restraining order?” He asked, voice calm and his posture relaxed. Zayn sighed in releif that the officer was still willing to help even after he found out Zayn was gay.

Zayn shook his head. He had asked Niall to a few times but he always said no and tried to change the subject.

“He should. I'm not a lawyer but I'm sure there will be a trial. Repeat your story, have him confirm it and maybe you’ll get a smaller sentence or a judge that completely dismisses the case” He said, standing. Zayn nodded, looking at his hands. 

“Am I being held right now?” He asked, sounding hopeful. He wanted to get out and maybe talk Niall into it. Reuss nodded his head and walked out the door. Within a few hours, a lawyer was provided for him. Zayn spent an hour and a half talking to the lawyer, going over the things that could happen, the story, and everything else. Mr. Banyon, the lawyer, leaned back in the chair and rubbed his hand over his face. Zayn was pleasantly surprised to find out Mr Banyon didnt care (or visibly show he cared) that Zayn was gay. 

"Well.. I think we have a good chance of getting the charges dropped. We need to bring your friend in to talk, maybe get him into testifying on your side? You are free to go, stay in the area and away from the defendant. If you could convince Mr. Horan and get him to my office tonight before we close or first thing in the morning that would be ideal.” He said, standing. Zayn nodded and stood, shaking his hand and walking out. The lady at the front handed him his personal belongings. He stepped out of the police station and turned on his phone. 

It wasn’t on for more than 30 seconds before it started going off like crazy with voicemails and texts, even a few emails. From his mom and Louis mainly. A few from Harry and one from Doniya asking what was going on. He just scrolled through them all, not replying yet. He didn’t know what to say. He got to the bottom where a text from Niall sat, the two words it contained hurt Zayn more than the possibility of going to jail. The text read: ‘You Promised’.

Zayn just stared at it, reading it over and over again before clicking off and lifting the phone to his ear calling Harry, who answered on the fourth ring, his voice low, almost whispering. He was obviously trying to hide the fact that he was on the phone. Whether it was from Niall or Louis, Zayn didn’t know.

"Where are you? What the hell is going on?” He asked, voice rushed. Zayn looked at the cars passing.

"I'm outside the police station. I need a ride…can you come get me? Please” He asked, realizing how desperate and needy he sounded. Harry agreed and hung up without a goodbye. Zayn just rubbed a hand over his face and clicked back to the messages, staring at the one from Niall. He had promised. He sighed and sat down on the steps, partly refusing to believe that it was actually happening to him. He hit a guy a few times and could go to jail? It seemed unreal. 

It didn’t take long for Harry to get there, and the ride back was quiet. Harry didn’t say anything, just kept glancing at Zayn as he stared out the window. They pulled into an empty parking lot by the school and Harry shifted the car into park, looking over at Zayn.

"Talk. What the hell happened, Zayn? I don’t care if you want to be all silent and mentally struggling about this. I’ve had an emotional and seriously upset Niall in my room for the past few hours after you got drug out by the cops and a bloody Adam got hauled away by an ambulance. Louis got mad and left to go god knows where and I haven’t heard from him.” Harry spoke, voice hard but laced with a mixture of panic and concern. Zayn just stared straight ahead out the window. and recited the story he told the lawyer and Reuss, but leaving out the parts Harry knew. Harry just stared at Zayn as he spoke.

“God…” He mumbled, looking back at the wheel.“Adam was in the building?...We didn’t see or hear him….Well let’s go…I’m going to let you go in and talk to him, or try…And I'm going to go find Louis..” He said, driving out of the lot and towards the dorms again. Zayn chewed the inside of his lip and sat in silence. Hoping for the best.

An hour later he found himself on his knees in front of the chair where Niall was sitting. Niall was looking down and refusing to meet Zayn's gaze, so he dropped down into his line of sight. Zayn reached forward and placed his hands onNiall’s face, feeling his gut clench as his fingers brushed along the wet spots on Niall’s cheeks.

“I’m.. I don’t know what else I can tell you…But I'm sorry…I really am. I hate myself for breaking a promise but..he was there and..he said some things..I’m pretty fucking scared right now…And I could seriously use a hug from one of the most important people in my life” Zayn finished, voice shaking as his vision grew blurry. He realized he was crying and he pulled away from Niall wiping his face. He didn’t cry in front of people. He didn’t like to look weak. He stood up and kept swiping his arm over his face. Niall stood and wrapped his arms around Zayn's neck, tightly. Zayn let the tears fall and hugged him back, burying his face into the side of Niall’s head. “I'm scared…” he muttered out, Niall just held their bodies together, gripping the back of Zayn's neck, eyes closed. Just being there.

~~

“I can’t do that..” Niall’s voice wavered as he muttered out the words, leaning his body back into Zayn's on the spare bed in Harry and Louis’ room. He sat between Zayn's legs, his fingers connected with Zayn's, resting on Niall’s chest. Harry sat on the floor between the beds, Louis laying on his stomach on the bed, head by Harry’s.

“You have to, Niall. It’ll help Zayn out. And besides. You heard what I said. He planned it” Louis spoke. He had apparently spent the time Zayn was at the police station, which was most of the day, it was 6pm now, digging and snooping. He, somehow, found out that Adam had called the police station himself when he saw Zayn, and waited just inside the dorm doors for him, knowing he could get Zayn angry enough to beat him. That's why he didn’t fight back. He was planning to get Zayn out of the picture. “Zayn could go to jail, Niall..” Louis spoke. Zayn didn’t miss the way Niall’s posture had changed when Zayn brought up Niall talking in the courtroom. He tensed immediately and started playing with Zayn's fingers. Zayn shook his head at Louis, trying to motion for him to stop. Louis groaned and Zayn just dropped his head down, pressing his lips to Niall’s ear.

“Its really ok, baby…it was just an idea. No one is going to force you…I’ll love you even if you don’t..” He mumbled. Niall turned his head to the side and up, pressing it into Zayn's neck, pouting his lips and pressing a kiss there. He was conflicted. He wanted to help Zayn, so bad. He couldn’t imagine life without him, even if it was only for a small time. But he had spent time hiding what happened. He had spent his time pretending it was all in the past and telling no one outside of the few people who knew. His mom didn’t even know. Louis didn’t bring up the subject again. They all ordered pizza and tried to dance around the possibility of Zayn being locked up. Zayn noticed that Niall only nibbled his food, and stayed quiet. But he decided not to comment on it, until later that night when he got back to the room. Zayn went and showered as quick as he could while still getting clean and rushed back, sliding on a pair of sweatpants over his boxers, not bothering with a shirt. Niall was already in one of Zayn's hoodies and a pair of sweats lying in the bed facing the wall, in Zayn's spot. Zayn just made his way over to the bed and laid down, sliding his arm around Niall and burying his face into the back of the younger boy’s neck.

“Talk to me…Something is on your mind..You barely ate” Zayn mumbled, lips against. Niall’s warm skin. Niall just shook his head and rolled over, pushing Zayn's shoulder until he was on his back. Zayn slid closer to the middle of the bed as Niall shifted until he was on top of Zayn, holding his weight up, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to Zayn's, slowly dropping until his elbows were resting on either side of Zayn's neck on the bed by his shoulders.

"I want to talk, if it gets to the point where there’s a trial or…anything.. I’ll do it..I..You can’t leave me, Zee…I need you..” He mumbled, voice soft. He moved his lips down to Zayn's neck, trailing from his collarbone to his ear, gently nibbling the bottom lobe. Zayn slid his hands up Niall’s thighs, which were level with Zayn's hips, and he let his fingers linger against Niall’s hips. Niall slowly slid his lips down Zayn's neck to his collarbone and grazed his teeth over it, followed by a flick of his tongue. Zayn let a small shiver slide down his spine before he tensed and gripped Niall’s hips, as the younger boy started to grind down against Zayn

“Niall…don’t..” Zayn mumbled, voice shaky. Niall didn’t slow his movements though. He shifted back up until his lips brushed Zayn's again. He pressed his hips down against Zayn's, keeping the upper hand until Zayn shifted and rolled them over, lifting his head away from Niall’s. Niall looked at him, legs wrapped around the back of Zayn’s thighs. He lifted his hands and gently tugged at the ends of Zayn's hair. Zayn closed his eyes and fought to keep his mind thinking straight. 

“Niall…stop…you're upset” Zayn said, his voice betraying him by sounding shaky and…honestly a little thicker than he was used to.

“Let me comfort you…distract you.. I know you want this..” Niall spoke, clearly and confidently, sliding his fingertips down Zayn’s cheeks. Zayn swallowed hard and shook his head, dropping a quick kiss to Niall’s lips.

“I love you. But you're crazy.. it doesn’t matter if I want it. I can feel that you don’t.. or aren’t ready for it.. I’ll wait as long as it takes. You won’t lose me over something so trivial; you can comfort me by being here…letting me cuddle you to sleep…” Zayn rested his forehead against Niall’s, watching the smile spread across his face. Zayn kissed his cheek and slid off of him, pulling him close and cuddling him to his front.

“Why me?..” Niall asked, Zayn pulled back and raised his eyebrow, Niall continued. “Don’t give me that face…you know what I mean…why me. Why do you love me? Why did you pick me? You could have probably anyone with that face and charming smile…I'm…so plain.” Niall whispered, wiggling his body until he was closer, face in Zayn's neck. Zayn just smiled.

“I fell in love with you, it’s as simple as that. I fell in love with your infectious laugh, your smile, your eyes. I fell in love with the way you can make anyone’s mood brighten without realizing it or even trying. I fell in love with the way you curl up when you fall asleep, and how you wake up, even if its just for a few minutes to kiss me goodbye in the morning. I fell in love with how your face looks when I place kisses all over it. I fell in love with you, simply because you are you, Niall. ” Zayn finished, holding him close. Niall just smiled.

“You sickly sweet romantic, you..” He muttered. Zayn just laughed and held Niall close, for a few moments forgetting that it may be one of the last times for a while where he’s given the opportunity to hold Niall at night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you thinks going to happen? Any theories? Comments on whats already happened. I'm done with one final for one class and have another one this Friday, so ill try to get it another one up as soon as possible. Thanks for reading!!:)


	14. Not an update

I'm sorry you guys, please be patient with me. I'm waiting for my beta to get back to me. It'll be up soon I promise! Thanks for reading the story:)


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FInally! Its here! The final chapter:) Im sorry it took so long, but all of my finals are done! I hadnt really intended on this being the final chapter, but it happened. And I hope you guys like it!

The next few days were uneventful, to say the least. The days were spent between the lawyer’s office and trying to stay caught up in classes. The nights were spent in bed, Niall gripping on to Zayn, Zayn holding him close because he was afraid it would be the last time. Wednesday was the day of the trial, and it didn't matter how much time they had spent going over the possibilities or how often the lawyer reminded Niall that they had a good chance, his mind was still set on reminding him that he could lose Zayn. Niall knew what he was going to say, but it didn't make him any less nervous. By the time Wednesday morning actually rolled around, the bundle of nerves in his stomach made him feel like puking every five seconds. And Zayn appeared calm. He was joking around with Louis and Harry like nothing was wrong.

Zayn’s mom drove up for the trial, to be supportive, and the three of them went out for breakfast, Zayn still avoiding talking about the trial, and when he did, he was sickly positive about it all. About halfway through the breakfast, after Zayn laughed with his mom and made a comment about hoping the judge had a thing for blue eyes. Niall excused himself and quickly made his way to the bathroom. He didn't waste time hurling up the contents of his stomach, which was basically the little he had eaten at breakfast. He rinsed his mouth in the sink and popped in a piece of gum, leaning forward against the counter and closing his eyes. The door opened and shut behind him, Niall stayed in his position until Zayn spoke.

"So what’s wrong? And don't say nothing... even mom noticed something was up" Zayn asked, leaning against the wall. Niall whipped around, feeling all of his frustrations build up more as he spoke.

"What’s wrong is that you’re acting like today means nothing!! For the past few days you have been acting like there’s not a possibility that you could go to jail! You’ve been acting like there’s not a chance you'll be forced to leave me...you...you've...you're just..."Niall’s voice quieted down as the tears came out and he started crying. Zayn was there in moments, pulling Niall to his chest. "You...you don't care..." he mumbled out. Zayn smiled softly and turned, kissing his head.

"I care.. I'm just trying to stay positive.. I'm not going to let it ruin my possible last few hours with you...I feel good about it though.. I feel like we will make it through no matter what, baby..." Zayn mumbled out, pressing kisses to the side of Niall's face. Niall just smiled and leaned closer into Zayn's arms. "We've switched rolls...normally I worry about everything...and you're the carefree ball of loud sunshine" Zayn muttered. Niall pulled back, dropping his jaw.

"I am not a ball of sunshine...but I am loud" he said, Zayn laughed and kissed him softly.

"You are..but you're my ball of sunshine..now come on. Let’s go finish eating before mom thinks we are having a quickie in here" Zayn smiled as Niall laughed and wiped his sleeve across his face.

~~

The trial took up a whole two hours, with fifteen minute recess near the middle when the prosecutors found out Niall was planning on talking. By the time the trial came to an end, Niall had chewed off all his nails. He sat still, behind Zayn, refusing to look at Adam, afraid that if he did he would lose all of his composure. They all had turns to speak.

A man to the right of them stood and spoke. And Niall could have screamed with happiness, but luckily he didn’t. Zayn ended up with 30 days probation and a small fine because he was a first time offender, and he would have ‘assault in the first degree’ marked on his permanent record, but that was fine with him.

Zayn was squished between his mom and Niall, smiling like he’d won the lottery.

~~

Things quickly returned back to normal in their lives. Niall, with some persuasion from Zayn and his friends, had filed a restraining order against Adam and had started carrying a pocket knife with him, against his better judgment, but Zayn insisted and he could see Zayn's point. Zayn went back to work like it was a normal thing and resumed his classes, Niall continued with the last few games of the season and kept on with his classes. What started as a pretty terrible situation, only ended up bringing them closer

~~

“No…I’m going to die alone” Waliyha whined and dropped her head onto her knees. Zayn tipped his head to the left and smiled at his younger sister, who was currently moping because her crush was dating someone else.

“Waliyha…You're only fourteen.. When the right one comes along, you’ll know.. I swear.” He said, looking away from her and to the field, squinting his eyes to see through the bright sun. It didn’t take long for the little ball of sunshine to look up and shoot a smile to Zayn, before moving back to the other side of the field. Zayn just smiled back and watched, not really caring about the outcome of the game, just there for support. It was the first game of the season, and their second year in the university. Doniya had brought Waliyha and Safaa up to see Zayn and Niall for the weekend. It was their parents anniversary, so now they had some time to themselves.

“How do you know? He was like the only boy that was perfect…” She grumbled into her knees. Zayn watched as Safaa talked, Harry and Doniya sat on the next step down, in the stands, pointing to Niall and then Louis on the field. Zayn shifted his eyes back to Waliyha and let a grin stretch across his face.

“There are like a million more boys in the world, and any of them would be lucky to be with you. But you still have at least four years before I’ll even let you date...I’ll have to come home and take care of business if I find out you're dating someone and not telling me” He joked, feeling much happier as a smile lit up his little sisters face. She just nodded at him, leaned in and laid her head on his shoulder. He rested his head against hers and let his eyes skim the field until he found the specific moving white jersey he was looking for, and smiled as he watched Niall dance around in the middle of the field with Louis. “And when it’s the right person, you’ll know…No matter what they say, or how many times you get told it’s not like the movies, it is. I guarantee he will be the one to finish all of your sentences…” Zayn finished.

“What if he doesn’t like me for me though?” Waliyha asked, watching the field, searching for the boy who had gained her brother’s attention, trying to figure out how love really works. Zayn just stayed quiet and pondered the question for a few moments.

“One day..you’ll meet a guy. And ultimately, he’s going to find out how you chew, how you dance, how you smell at every point of the day. He's going to find out that most of your friends are shallow, and that you hang out with them because there is some good inside. He’s going to learn what your face looks like underneath that make up, he’s going to see how you look when you first wake up, before you’ve had the chance to make yourself ‘presentable’. He's going to know what your morning breath smells like. How you can be hyper at times, how certain games and songs can make you happy. How cranky you can get when you’re tired. He's going to notice how insecure you are, and how you never think you're pretty. He's going to find out that you don’t like to be in photos because you don’t think you look good. Waliyha, he is going to know everything about you. But you know what? He’s still going to love you anyways..” Zayn finished, his eyes not leaving Niall the whole time. Waliyha just smiled.

“You guys have a perfect love story” She spoke. Zayn shook his head, smiling.

“Nah. It’s far from perfect…but out of all the love stories I know, ours is my favorite”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the end of the line. I want to thank all of you guys for reading and commenting and sharing my story around. Im going to be starting other stories/oneshots/who really knows sometime soon, preferably soon. I have some ideas but im not sure what pairings I want to use. If you have any pairings you really want to see, or any specific story lines you wouldnt mind reading, comment them! Dont be afraid to request!! If you have a specific prompt you want me to write for, chances are; ill do it!


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